


Like A Story Book Story.

by 3DBABE1999



Category: Princess Bride (1987), Teen Wolf (TV), The Princess Bride - Simon Morgenstern
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Cannon Typical Violence for Princess Bride, Canon Typical Violence for Teen Wolf, These and Additional Warnings in Story Notes, WARNING TAGS: Foul Language, Werewolf Alpha/Beta/Dynamics aren't the same as Human Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 11:05:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 29,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6608311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3DBABE1999/pseuds/3DBABE1999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Teen Wolf and Princess Bride Crossover that probably no one but me wanted, lol..</p><p>If you haven't seen Princess Bride.. What are you doing reading this?.. Put this down and go watch Princess Bride PRONTO you have NO IDEA what you're missing!!.. Seriously if you haven't seen Princess Bride then this Story may make absolutely no sense to you..</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Inell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inell/gifts).



> "Like a story book story."
> 
> A Teen Wolf - The Princess Bride CROSSOVER..
> 
> CAST:
> 
> Theo Raeken as Prince Humperdinck
> 
> Jackson Whittemore as The Six Fingered Man or A.K.A. Count Rugen
> 
> Vernon Boyd as Fezik (Perfectly Casted if I do say so myself.)
> 
> Isaac Lahey as Inigo Montoya (Could Isaac be anymore perfect as Inigo especially since JACKSON is "The Six Fingered Man"?) (Also, in this Universe Isaac's dad wasn't abusive to Isaac.. Oh.. And Isaac's father's first name is Wes in this because Teen Wolf never said his first name (I don't think, it did anyway.) and because when you say Wes Lahey, really fast over and over again it starts to sound like Westley... And I really couldn't resist that.)
> 
> Gerard Argent as Vizzini (This one was too easy)
> 
> Derek as Westley (A.K.A. Dread Pirate Roberts A.K.A. The Masked Man or Man in The Mask)
> 
> Stiles as Buttercup (Because this is a Sterek story through and through.)
> 
> Danny as The Impressive Cleargy Man (Just cause) 
> 
> Matt Daehler as The Albino 
> 
> Malia as Valerie (Because it will make so much sense when it's written.)
> 
> Lydia Martin as Miracle Max (Trust me on this one.) (Yes.. I know that puts Lydia and Malia together as a couple.. But trust me here.. It's gonna be pure GOLD!)
> 
> The Grandfather is a SURPRISE and so is The Mom of "The Grandson".. Oh.. Why is "The Grandson" in Quotation Marks?.. Because in THIS.. The Grandson is The GrandDAUGHTER... Which is also a surprise.. But trust me... You will cry at the reveal..
> 
> "Vizzini's" (Gerard's) Fellow Kidnappers consists of more than just "Fezzik" (Boyd) and "Inigo" (Isaac) in this because I needed the ability to add more Teen Wolf Characters to this.
> 
> WARNINGS: Foul Language, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics (Omega Dynamics as in Characters going into Heat and Male Pregnancies type Omega Dynamics), Canon Typical Violence for both Teen Wolf and The Princess Bride... So many lines from The Princess Bride made it into this, but I wanted to make sure there would be lots of dialogue people would be familiar with, at least at the beginning (For real.. There's so much freaking dialougue from Princess Bride that it's probably bordering on illegal.. Like for real.. But I've just seen The Princess Bride so many times that I know every scene and every word by heart and The Princess Bride IS one of THE MOST QUOTABLE MOVIES.. Like EVER and so many Shows and Movies have used lines from The Princess Bride that I've lost count.. I don't know the exact rules on how much is "too much".. I just know that as long as I change *just enough* then I should be okay... Hopefully???).... There will be more and more deviations from The Princess Bride Script as the story progresses (And for real.. when you notice differences from The Princess Bride.. Yes.. Yes.. I know it's different.. It's different on purpose because I will not (pretty sure that I legally CANNOT) make everything the same.), but no matter what, there are some Lines and Moments from The Princess Bride that just HAVE to make it into this story.. There's also some Teen Wolf "Canon(ish)" type things that will be in this, like Werewolves and other Supernatural Beings are a thing in this Universe but not everybody knows it, yet in This Universe Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics are also a Human thing too and not just a Werewolf thing so everyone knows about those without having to necessarily know about Werewolves (But the Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics just mean something else to Werewolves than it does to Humans and if Human and Werewolf Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics somehow COMBINED then those Dynamics could evolve to take on new meanings), Jackson is NOT a (complete) Kanima, but is a Kanima's "Master" (BUT remember the rule about Kanimas.. "If you misuse The Kanima, you will start to BECOME The Kanima."), Matt Daehler IS a Kanima (see how I reversed Matt's and Jackson's Roles of Master/Kanima from Teen Wolf Canon, but how it fits with this because Jackson is "Count Rugen" ("The Albino's" Master) while Matt is "The Albino"?) AND of course, even in this Matt will still manage to be a creepy stalker and so on..
> 
> ADDITIONAL WARNINGS: There may be Content that could be considered Triggering and/or Offensive to some readers.
> 
> THIS IS WRITTEN JUST FOR FUN AND NOT FOR PROFIT!!! (So if any of those who read this just so happens to be someone who owns rights to the Teen Wolf T.V. Series or The Princess Bride.. Please don't sue me???).. 
> 
> Now.. On to the Story..
> 
> ~0~

~0~

A little girl lay in his bed coughing and playing video games. Her mom enters the room  
with a "Hi, honey."... The girl replies with a hoarse sounding "Hi, mom."

The mom kisses her daughter on the forehead then puts her hand where she had just kissed her to feel if she has a fever.

"You feeling any better?" The mom asked.

"A little bit." The girl still sounded hoarse so her mom didn't buy a word of it.

"Guess what?" The mom asked trying to sound cheerful.

"What?" The girl sounds like she's getting suspicious of what her mom might try to spring on her.

"Your grandfather's here." The girl's mom replied as she opened the bedroom curtains and let some sunlight into the room.

"Ah, mom.. Can't you tell him I'm sick?"

"You're sick?.. That's why he's here."

"He'll pinch my cheek.. I hate that."

"Maybe he won't."

Just then the bedroom door opened and an older man with grey hair walked in, his coat draped over his arm, his hat in one hand and a wrapped gift in his other hand.

"Heyyyo!" The older man exclaimed cheerfully as he came in and draped his coat over a chair beside the girl's bed and placed his hat on the nightstand by the girl's bedside lamp right next to her He-Man Action Figure.

"Hi, grandpa." the girl greeted while eyeing the wrapped gift her grandfather still held.

"How's the sickie?" The girl's grandfather asked as he pinched the girl's cheek. The girl shot a glare at her mom and then gave her a "See what I mean?" look, her mom just smirked and gave her a half shrug as she started heading out of the room.

"I think I'll leave you two pals alone."

"Hey, grandpa... What'd'ya got there?".. The girl asked giving a nod toward the wrapped gift her grandfather held.

"Oh, this?" The girl's grandfather asked teasingly "This isn't anything.."

"Grandpa.." The girl admonished sounding annoyed.

"Oh okay." The grandfather laid the wrapped gift in his granddaughter's lap.

"What is it?" The girl asked excitedly.

"Open it and find out." The girl's grandfather sounded just as excited about the gift as his granddaughter.

The girl began ripping the paper off of his gift.. Then she paused staring dumbfounded at her gift.

"A book?!" The girl exclaimed sounding disappointed and even a little angry.

"Yes a book." The girl's grandfather chided at his granddaughter in reprimand as he picked up the book "You know, back in my day television was called books."

"Yeah, back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth." The girl muttered under his breath.

"Hey.." The girl's grandfather sounded stern "This story, this book, has been in our family for a really long time, in fact I have read this story to every member of my family during times when they were sick and today I'm gonna read it to you because you're sick and one day you will take over and read it to every member of our family during times when they are sick because it is tradition and when the story is over you will understand why it's so important to uphold that tradition."

The girl's face was downcast and she looked thoroughly chastised.

"Hey.. It's a good story.. I promise." The grandfather's tone was gentler now.

The girl gave her grandfather a look that said exactly how skeptical she was that any book as thick as the one her grandfather held could be good.

"Don't believe me?"

The girl gave a cautious shake of her head. But then she seemed to rethink her skepticism if only slightly as she gave her grandfather a timidly hopeful look "Does it have any sports in it?"

"Are you kidding?!... This story has everything!.. Fencing, Fighting, Torture, Revenge, Giants, Monsters, Chases, Escapes, True Love.. Miracles.."

"Doesn't sound too bad." The girl was still clearly skeptical as she used the remote to click off the T.V. "I'll try to stay awake."

"Oh. Well, thank you, that's very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming." The girl's grandfather cracked open the book's leather binding, revealing that it was marked with three spirals that connected to one another on the front cover.

The girl caught sight of the symbol where she had missed seeing it before because she had been looking at the blank back cover of the leather binding and before her grandfather could begin trying to read, the girl piped up asking "Hey, Grandpa.. What does that symbol mean?"

The girl's grandfather made a face that said he was deep in thought, then he closed the book and pointed to the symbol on the cover.. "This symbol?"

The girl nodded.

"It's called a Triskele."

"Okay... But what does it mean?" The girl asked.

"Well.. If you listen to the stoy, you might find out."

"It.. It just.. Looks familiar." The girl stammered.

The girl's grandfather smirked "Does it now?"

The girl gave an enthusiastic nod.

"Hmm.." The grandfather hummed in thought.. "Well... Alright then." he cracked the book back open, pretending to forget or ignore his granddaughter's curiousity about the Triskele on the book's leather cover as he began to read...

"In a Village called Ocean Flat, that was located on the outer rim of The Kingdom of Old Oak, a young Omega named Stiles was raised on a small farm.

"The young Omega's favorite pastimes were riding his beloved white horse, Roscoe and tormenting the farm boy that worked there. The farmboy was an Alpha named Derek, but Stiles never called him that.. Isn't that a wonderful beginning?"

"Yeah.. It's really good." The girl couldn't have hid her sarcasm even if she had tried.

"Nothing gave Stiles as much pleassure as ordering Derek around"

"Farm Boy... Polish my horse's saddle.. I want to see my face shining in it by morning." Stiles ordered cheekily, thrilling in the power that he, an Omega, had over an Alpha.

"As you wish." Derek replied.

"As you wish.", was all that Derek ever said to Stiles." The Grandfather told his granddaughter.

"Farm Boy.." Stiles called as he sat two buckets down by Derek's feet. "Fill those wth water from the well... Please." The "please" sounded like it took some struggle for the young and stubborn Omega to say. But Stiles' father had been chastising him, telling him that he should be nicer to the young Alpha that helped them tend to their farm and Stiles had felt guilty for how he had been tormenting the farm boy, so the "please" was tinged with guilt and reluctance for now Stiles was afraid that the farm boy would reject any kindness from him after so many months of torment.

"As you wish." Was Derek's only reply, as always.

THREE DAYS LATER...

"Farm Boy.. I need your help in the kitchen... Please." Stiles called. The "Please" was still a bit reluctant. But Stiles was young and like several young men he hated acknowledging when he was in the wrong about something.

"As you wish." Derek replied, holding Stiles' gaze with a heated look of longing as he squeezed past Stiles and into the kitchen.

"It was then that Stiles was amazed by the realization that when Derek was saying "As you wish." what Derek really meant was "I love you."..

"And even more amazing, was in the moment that followed, only a blink of an eye afterward. when the realization hit Stiles, that he truly loved Derek back."

Suddenly Stiles wanted an excuse to have Derek close to him.. The young Omega fidgeted nervously, then an idea came to him.

"Farm Boy... Fetch me that pitcher." Stiles commanded as he pointed to a pitcher hanging right above his head.

Stiles bit his bottom lip and didn't move from where he stood as Derek strode over to where Stiles was standing.

To get the pitcher down from where it was hanging, Derek would have to get so inappropriately close to Stiles that in some societies that amount of closeness between an Unbonded Alpha and an Unbonded Omega could be considered obscene. But neither the closeness nor what some societies would think about such closeness perturbed Derek as he pressed his body against Stiles and reached up to grab the pitcher, purposefully taking his time to let the closeness of their bodies linger.

"Farm Boy." Stiles whispered. "Derek." The Omega used the Alpha's name for the first time ever since they had met. "May I have a kiss."

Derek smirked and leaned his face down, his mouth so close that Stiles could feel Derek's breath tickling his lips as Derek whispered "As you wish." then closed the gap to lavish a sweet and tender kiss..

"Whoa.. Whoa.. Whoa." The girl interrupted. "What is this?!.. Are you trying to trick me?!.. Where are the sports?.. The fighting?.. The Monsters?.. Is this a Kissing Book?!"

"Wait.. Just.. Wait." The girl's grandfather reassured her placatingly.. The girl was looking at her grandfather like he had commited the worst sort of betrayal.

"Well, when does it get good?" The girl asked impatiently as she crossed her arms sternly over her chest.

"Keep your shirt on, let me read."

"As Stiles melted into the kiss.."

"Ugh.."

"Quit interrupting."

"As Stiles melted into the kiss there was the sound of someone clearing their throat coming from the door that lead into the farm house.. Stiles and Derek broke apart to see Stiles' father standing there."

"Looks like we have some things to discuss." Stiles father gestured to Derek "Walk with me, Derek."

Derek looked nervous as the look on Stiles' father's face wasn't giving anything away. "Uh... Yes, Sir." Derek moved to go outside with Stiles' father, leaving Stiles standing in the kitchen with an embarrassed blush covering his face.

Stiles' father was a Beta named John who had raised Stiles alone from the time Stiles' mother had passed away from a tragic illness when Stiles was only eight years old. He had never struggled overly much to make ends meet with the income he made as The Commander of The Local Magistrate and no matter what he had always managed to provide for his son and keep his son from having to do any of the hard labor that was required on their small farm that provided them with the food that they made extra income from selling at the Local Markets.

Needless to say, John wanted his son to be with someone who could unfailingly provide at the very least as good of a life for him as the life that he was already accustomed too.

When Derek heard this, his heart fell. Their was no way that he could provide such a life for Stiles with the income he was making by working the farm. He already had no money for just even simply marriage as it was.

"But." John added "The Village Council has been talking about adding to the Magistrate's forces. If you were to obtain such a job, you would be making significantly more than you do here at the farm and then I would no longer have an excuse to deny your request for my son's hand in marriage... And of course.. I suppose it's lucky for you that you know The Commander of The Local Magistrate, who can put in a good word for you with The Village Council."

"Are you.. Trying to recruit me into joining The Magistrate's Office?"

"I'm saying I want my son to marry someone who can financially provide as good of a life for him as the life that he's already accustomed too.. And you want to be that someone who marries and provides such a life for my son.. Plus I really could use help protecting this village, Stiles included, from the Pirates who keep pillaging our village's resouces."

"I'll do it." Derek replied with a nod.

WEEKS LATER..

Derek's new employment with Oak Flat's Local Magistrate was to go out with a group of other Officers from The Local Magistrate's Office and patrol the waters off the Coast of Ocean Flat and keep any Pirates who might try to invade and or pillage the small Village of Ocean Flat away, so that meant that Derek's new job required him to be at sea off the Coast of his homeland for at least three days out of each week. When the ship Derek and his group of fellow Officers was on returned, a new ship with a new group of Officers from The Local Magistrate's Office would sail out to also be gone for three days, giving Derek and his group of fellow Officers four days of Shore Leave each week because good, God fearing men do not work on the Sabbath including all of The Officer's of The Magistrate's Office and even The Commander of The Magistrate himself.

So of course, Pirates, not being good or God fearing men, would choose a Sunday to be spotted on the horizon off the Coast of Ocean Flat.

"It's a ship!" A village man exclaimed as he barged right into The Local Magistrate's home without any care for privacy "A black ship." he said, his voice trmbling in fear.

"With black sails." Another chimed in as he too barged right into The Local Magistrate's home without knocking.

Derek, John and Stiles had all just sat down to dinner and had only just finished saying Grace when those men burst in stammering fearfully about a black ship with black sails.

Derek and John shared a look, knowing full well that there was only one ship with such a discription. The tales of the ship stirred terror in everyone.. The Pirate Ship "Revenge" was Captained by the most rutheless and blood thirsty Pirate than any other Pirate in any other tale ever told... It was said that "The Dread Pirate Roberts" had come by his name honestly, through acts so horrid and unspeakable that just the mere mention of him had men quaking in their boots.

But not John and Derek. They had a town to defend.. They had Stiles to defend.

They rose from the table to gather as much forces as they could to sail out and either capture The Dread Pirate Roberts and his ship or chase the Demon Pirate and his monstorous ship back to the bowels of Hell from whence they came.

"Don't go." Stiles stood and grabbed both Derek and his father holding them in place. "Everyone knows that The Dread Pirate Roberts does not take prisoners. If you go out there and fail to capture him or chase him away he will kill you both and then I'll be left with no one."

"We have to go... There's a whole village who depends on us to keep them safe." John told his worried son as he and Derek stepped away from his grasp.

"But what if some of those Pirstes take a lifeboat and make it to shore while the entire Magistrate's Office is distracted with sailing out to take on The Pirate Ship Revenge and her horrifying Captain The Dread Pirate Roberts?" Stiles argued.

"I'll leave Parrish here to evacuate the village if it comes to that." His dad replied.

"Why can't you and Derek stay?!" Stiles yelled.

"We have to go try to head off the Pirate Raid." Derek replied "Stiles, it's your father's job to lead the other Officers and it's my job to bring your father home safely."

"No... Stay... Just stay here... Send only half The Magistrate's forces and keep the other half of them here for if any of the Pirates make landfall.. Please... Don't leave me!" Stiles begged.

"Shh." John said soothingly as he gathered his son into a hug "I know.. I know you're scared son... Ever since your mother died, you've been terrified of loosing me too and I know that right now you you are frightened out of your mind because you don't stand the chance of loosing just me, but Derek too."

"I don't want to loose either of you!" Stiles shouted into the material of his father's Commander of The Magistrate's Uniform Jacket.

"I know." John squeezed his son "You won't loose us."..

Stiles pouted as his father stepped away "Derek.... Please.."

Derek stepped into Stiles' still outstreched arms (the young Omega was so distraught that it did not occure to him to put his arms back down after his father broke out of the embrace) taking up the space John just vacated.

Now Derek was the one hugging Stiles.

"Don't go... Don't let my father go... Derek... Please tell my father this is suicidal madness. If you sail out to try to confront, capture or chase away The Dread Pirate Roberts, I fear I will never see either of you again." Stiles pleaded into Derrek's Magistrate Officer Uniform Jacket, his tears falling onto the badge that adorned the breast of Derek's Uniform Jacket.

"Of course you will see us again."

"But what if something bad happens to either or BOTH of you?!"

"Hear this now. I will always come for you. And your father would fight his way through Hell itself to keep from leaving you alone in this world with no one to provide for you or defend you."

"But how can you be sure that you'll both return to me?"

"This is True Love... You think this happens everyday?" John interrupted as he made a gesture that included the what the whole of Stiles and Derek combined together represented "Derek will come home to you. I will come home to you. All you have to do is keep a candle burning in the ocean side window so we can see its Beacon and it can guide us back home to you."

Stiles had planned to light every candle in the household and place them in the window to burn all through the, creating such immense light that his father and Derek would be able to see their way back home from the edge of the world if they needed it.

But as Stiles was gathering the candles Parrish burst into his home much in the same fashion as the men earlier had.

"Pirates have made landfall... Stiles, we need to evacuate the Village!"

Stiles hurried after Parrish, they banged on doors and gathered up as many people from the Village as possible and used The Light of The Full Moon to find one of the secret paths that lead into the forest to escape the pillaging Pirates.

Once everyone else was safe, Stiles tried to run back to the Village, but Parrish stopped him.

"Stiles, you can't go back there... Not with those Pirates Raiding the Village."

"But what about my father?!" Stiles sobbed, his breaths coming out in panting gasps as his heartbeat started to race out of control like a spooked horse "What about Derek?.. What if they come back and they don't know about the Pirates in the Village and they run into trouble and get hurt?.. Someone needs to go back to warn them just in case they.."

"Stiles..." Parrish's voice was gentle as he tried to soothe the young Omega who was clearly on the verge of having a Panic Attack Parrish was aware of how Stiles had been plagued by sudden bouts of Panic Attacks ever since his mother's death and he was aware of how to help the young Omega get through such a Panick Attack because he had been friends with John since before Stiles was born. "Breath... Just breathe with me... In... Out... In.. Out."

Stiles did as instructed until the impending Panick Attack eased up enough for his heartbeat to get under control.

His heartbeat and panic might have calmed but his fear did not, Stiles was still terrified out of his mind for Derek and his father.

"Someone needs to go back to wait for them." Stiles cried in a pleading whisper.

"Your father knows what he's doing, this isn't the first time he's dealt with Raiding Pirates, he knows how to handle himself in a situation like this and he knows the evacuation plan.. Stiles, he wasn't voted to Command The Local Magistrate for his looks, he was voted to Command The Local Magistrate because the people in this Village and the people in The Village's Council trust him to protect us all and believe me, he has proved himself worthy of that trust time and time again.. He knows where to find us and he knows to be careful if he comes back to the Village before the Raid is over."

"But Derek.."

"Derek was trained the same as any other Officer entering into The Magistrate's Forces and he has your father looking out for him. He will be fine." Parrish reassured Stiles as he wrapped his arm around the young Omega's shoulders and gave a comforting squeeze.

"Everything will be okay... Just wait and see." Parrish said as he gave Stiles another squeeze. "Going back to the Village now would just be potentially putting yourself in danger and neither your father or Derek would forgive me if something happened to you on my watch... Just imagine how furious and grief stricken they would be... Coming home safe and sound and completely unscathed, expecting to come home to you just like they promised you only to find out that YOU had ended up being killed in the Raid and they now had nothing to come home to.. Don't do that to them, Stiles."

"Okay.. I won't try to leave again until after we know it's safe to go back to the Village."

"Good... That's good." Parrish sounded relieved that he had talked Stiles out of running headlong into a potentially dangerous situation.

As dawn broke, a horn was blown by one of The Magistrate's Officer's in a pattern that made it clear that it was not an imposter trying to trick the Village people out of the safety of the woods, this was "The All Clear" Signal that Stiles had been waiting with baited breath for, it was the signal that let everyone know that it was safe to return to the Village.

The second the horn was silenced, Stiles broke into a desperate run, his heart screaming at him that he needed to see that the two people he held dearest in his heart were still alive.

"Stiles, wait!" Parrish tried calling after the young Omega, but Stiles didn't even so much as slow down. He had promised Parrish to not try to leave until he knew it was safe to go back to the Village, but now that the horn had been blown, sounding "The All Clear" even the Hounds of Hell could not keep Stiles from making his way to the Village to find his father and Derek.

Stiles skidded to a halt as he reached the edge of the small Oceanside Village.. Several Buildings, people's businesses, people's HOMES, had been burned to charred skelontons and ash in the Raid.

"Oh Dear Lord." Stiles brought his hand to cover his mouth to hold back a sob. At least the Village had been evacuated before the fires had destroyed half the Village.

To his left one of The Local Magistrate's Patrol Boats was limping its way into the Village's Harbor. Once the Boat settled and the ramp was let down, Stiles ran to the Boat.

"What happened?" Stiles asked shakily as two of the Magistrate's Officers, a Beta named Bobby Finstock and and an Alpha named Richard Donovan came down the ramp carrying a stretcher between them.

"DAD?!" Stiles shouted as he ran to the side of the prone form of the person who laid on the stretcher. It looked like his father had been mauled by some sort of animal. His father laid on the stretcher his hands clenched into fists and pressed against his chest.

"Dad, what happened?!" Stiles cried to his barely conscious father.

"Stiles." John whispered. "The Dread Pirate Roberts... He's... He's.. An Abomination... A Demon!" He screamed "His eyes... His eyes glowed red like Hellfire!"

Stiles looked to Bobby and Richard hoping for clarification as to what his father meant for surely they would know as they were there with his father. But all he got from them were the grim faces of men that had seen truly terrible and horrifying things.

When no others departed from the Boat Stiles ran after Bobby and Richard, following them to the Village's Doctor.

"Where's Derek?" He asked in desperation. The only answers he received were looks of sadness and pity. 

His father groaned and shifted, his clenched fist opening to revel a piece of Derek's Uniform Jacket, Derek's badge was still attached to the torn fabric and all of it was covered in blood.

"I'm so sorry Stiles. The Dread Pirate Roberts, murdered Derek, right before my eyes."

"Ooh... Murdered by Pirates is good." The little girl interrupted looking like she was now finally keen to listen to the story.

Something like a dark shadow fell across her grandfather's features and the girl thought that she had said something wrong and was ready to feel horribly guilty and apologize when the shadow passed and the corner of her grandfather's mouth quirked up into a lopsided grin of fondness and amusement then continued to read as if there hadn't been any interruption at all...

"No.." Stiles cried "He promised to come back to me... He promised he would always come for me!"

The Village Doctor, a man named Alan Deaton, worked tirelessly to disinfect, bandage and stitch the deep gashes that covered John's body as Stiles fretted, feeling terrified, he had lost his True Love and now he could very well lose his father if his father could not recover from his wounds.

With time, painstaking care and monumental expense, John eventually recovered from his wounds much to Stiles relief. But John was no longer the same. He would ramble endlessly to anyone who would listen about how The Dread Pirate Roberts was no man, but a BEAST with claws, fangs and red glowing eyes in the guise of a man that could transform at will.

Soon certain people within The Village began to make comments that John was speaking Blasphemy and Herasy, for the things of which John spoke were an insult to The Lord God.

John was dragged before The Village's Church and The Village Council to be tried for Crimes of Blasphemy and Herasy.

Stiles rallied to his father's defense, claiming that his father was gravely injured and had just seen The Dread Pirate Robert's commit gastly crimes of murdering people he had known and been friends with for years and in the horror of the moment the light of the Full Moon or the fires on the shores of Ocean Flat or the light from both combined must have played a trick on his injured and traumatized father's mind and that of course if anyone were to go through such an ordeal they too would think The Dread Pirate Roberts an Inhuman Beast.

The Village's Church and The Village Council decided to have mercy and not punish John for Crimes of Blasphemy or Herasy, instead claiming that John was to be pitied for the loss of his Sanity.

With The Church and The Village Council deciding that John was no longer Sane, John lost his position of The Commander of The Local Magistrate and only a few of John's and Stiles' true friends would buy the food produced by John's and Stiles' Farm as now both John and Stiles were The Village Pariah, Outcasts, that hardly anyone still wanted in The Village.

Parrish, Richard and Bobby were the only ones in the entire Village who didn't treat John or Stiles badly.

It did not take long for John and Stiles to fall into poverty with no one in the Village wanting to buy the food that their Farm produced and the way John's injuries had healed had left John with a bad limp which meant that it was up to Stiles to not only take the work needing done around the Farm upon imself (for no one in the Village would want to work for a madman except perhaps Parrish, Richard or Bobby and Parrish had taken up the mantle of Commander of The Local Magistrate and hardly ever had time to stop by anymore and when he did it had the Village Vultures in a frenzy of gossip, Richard had quit working for The Magistrate's Office and took work at the Silver Mines in the next Village over and Bobby had quickly became the official Village Drunkard and was in just as bad of shape as John when it came to the ability to cope with the horrors that had happened.) but Stiles also had to take it upon himself to find buyers for the food the farm produced as while the Farm could provide them with several things they needed, they also needed some sort of income to be able to purchase several other things that they needed but the Farm could not provide. Things like products to help Stiles with his Heats that would also help to keep Unbonded Alphas from trying to break down the doors of his and his father's home when he went into Heat.

"Gross!" The little girl interrupted again. 

"Well.. You have to remember that Stiles is an Omega, so of course this story would inevitably talk about things like his Heat."

"Ugh... But it's just so... Icky.." The girl pouted. 

"There's nothing graphic.. It's child friendly.. I promise.. Do you really think your mom would let me read this to you if it there were things a child your age shouldn't hear in it?"

"Hey... I'm eleven now!" The girl protested when her grandfather implied there were things she might still be too young to hear.

"Oh yes.. That makes you so wise and mature." Her grandfather replied in jest. "Can I continue reading now?"

"Go ahead I guess.."

"Since hardly anyone in the Village would buy the food that their Farm produced, Stiles began venturing out to other Villages to sell what he could and earn enough to keep himself and his father supplied with everything they may need that their Farm could not provide."

For five years Stiles struggled to keep his small two person family afloat while his father spent every spare Shilling that came their way in order to drink himself into oblivion alongside Bobby Finstock.

One day while Stiles was out trying to sell the products from his and his father's Farm in the Kingdom's Center Most City, Dark Oak, a High Born man rode into the Market Square, there was quite a bit of fan fair once everyone noticed the man, though Stiles cared not about the attention some pompous rich man was getting only that the potential customers who had been peruising his wares had been distracted by said pompous rich man's entrance into Dark Oak's Main Square.

"What could be so impressive about another full of himself Noble Man as to distract away the customers from my stall?" Stiles muttered grumpily under his breath as he turned his back on the scene and began to moodily pack up the wares that he obviously would not be selling now that everyone in the Square was distracted by said Noble Man's entrance.

"Usually people know to bow at the sight of The Prince's Royal Emblem." Came a voice from behind Stiles.

"Sight of what?" Stiles asked as he turned around.

Stiles' eyes went wide as he caught sight of The Prince's Royal Emblem on the breast of the owner of the voice's fancy blue Tunic.

"Begging your Pardon, Highness." Stiles said nervously as he stooped to a bow as this was no common Noble Man but Prince Raeken, The Crown Prince of The Kingdom and Heir to the Throne, himself. "I had my back turned, I did not see your Royal Emblem."

"It's quite alright." The Prince sounded smug "You may rise."

Stiles was careful to be proper with how he swept up into a stand from his bowing position.

"My Lord, what a rare beauty you are." The Prince sounded awe struck now that he was able to fully take in the sight of Stiles' face. 

Stiles' mouth fell open, dumbfounded he found himself not knowing how to respond. "Uh.. Thank you, your Highness." The young Omega replied nervously.

"And what would be your name?"

"Uh... Stiles, your Highness." 

"Please, call me Theo." The Prince crooned soothingly as he stepped closer to Stiles. "I find myself simply captivated by your beauty, Stiles. Tell me how it is that an Omega such as yourself is still Unbonded."

"Five years ago, my True Love was murdered by Pirates before we had the chance to marry and Bond as Mates, your Highness.. Uh.. Theo." Stiles' croaked feeling his throat go dry in his nervous state.

"Tragic.." The Prince cooed sympathetically "I can imagine that it has been difficult to try to move on with life after something so horrible."

"Yes, your Highness... uh.. Theo.. It has been." Stiles felt the sting of tears pooling in his his eyes.

"Do you think that you could try to move on from something so horrible with me?.. After all five years is a long time.. More than a sufficient amount of time to properly grieve." The Prince whispered, now pressing obscenely close into Stiles' personal space.

"I.. I am sorry and plead for your Pardon, Highness, but I cannot move on, with anyone... I swore to never love again. I cannot risk the pain of such heartbreak a second time."

"What if I promise to never break your heart?" The Prince asked, he was so close to Stiles that The Young Omega could feel The Prince's breath on his lips.... Stiles could not bare the memory that such a thing invoked, so he took a step back, having forgotten that they were in the middle of the Heart of The Kingdom and that there were hundreds of people in Dark Oak's Main Square who were watching this exchange.

"No one can promise such a thing to anyone, no one knows when The Lord Our God will call them to Heaven and I have already felt the pain of a loved one's death and Self-Destruction too many times to gamble my heart on love ever again." Stiles cried as he stepped even further back. "I am truly sorry, your Highness. But I cannot move on." Stiles sobbed then turned and fled from the Main Square.

The Prince made to trot after Stiles, but Stiles had already disappeared from sight.

A man with six fingers on his left hand walked to The Prince's right side then leaned in to whisper in the Prince's ear where none of those in The Main Square could hear. "Would you like me to set the wolves after him, your Highness?"

"No.. I want you to follow him, find out everything there is to know about him, where he's from, who his family is..."

"Ah, so you're going to Publicly Execute him and everyone he cares about then?" The Six Fingered Man interrupted

"Good Lord, Jackson, why are you always so morbid?.. No.. I am going to ask for his hand in marriage."

"He just publicly rejected you and fled from you in front of hundreds of people."

"Yes... That's why I want to marry him."

Jackson raised his eyebrows at The Prince then fell into pace a step behind the Prince as The Prince began to walk. "Well, I knew you liked your Omegas spirited, but I never thought that you would ever actually want to marry an Omega that had the nerve to publicly humiliate you in front of hundreds of people then run away."

"Oh, I love my Omegas spirited, alright." Prince Raeken replied, his eyes shifting to glow an eerie blue. "And even more I love to tame a spirited Omega and force them to Submit.. But.. more than even that, you know I also love my Schemes."

"Ah, yes, your Schemes." Jackson replied with a nod. "So, I take it that you have cooked up another one of said Schemes?"

"Oh yes, and making that Omega agree to marry me is going to play an important, nay, VITAL part in helping that Scheme come to fruition."

"And what if that Omega refuses to marry you?"

"I will find him, play the proper Suitor, attempt to get him to see what a good Match, what a good Mate I could be for him and if all else fails to get him to agree to marry me, I am sure that I can find other means to use to persuade him with."

"Oh, I have seen how persuasive you can be... But what if there is no one in the world left alive that he cares about whose life or freedom you can threaten to force him to agree?"

"I am certain that there is someone... After all, earlier, he spoke of having already felt the pain of a loved one's death and Self-Destruction too many times to gamble his heart on loving anyone ever again, the fact that he spoke of someone destroying themselves can only mean that there is at least one person left in the world whose loss can break his heart, as one would have to still be alive, to currently be breaking his heart through Self-Destruction."

"My Prince." Jackson said with a deep bow "Your deviance knows no bounds."

"I know." Prince Raeken replied boredly "That's why I'm going to be King before the turn of the year."

TWO MONTHS LATER...

Stiles was harvesting all of the vegetables that had just recently ripened, his basket was not even a quarter full. Once word had gotten around, and it had gotten around very quickly, about what had happened in Dark Oak's Main Square between Stiles and Prince Raeken no one would even so much as look at any of the wares he might try to sell aside from Richard, Parrish and Bobby and morer often than not they could not afford to pay full price for the things they did buy. So, Stiles and his father had quickly fallen on such lean times that their Farm had become their only source of providing just simply the bare basics of food and water. Now everything that Stiles harvested went straight to the dinner table or into their own cubbards as even if Stiles was able to sell any of the things being produced by the Farm, Stiles could not run the risk of not being able to sell the food and the food spoiling and going to waste when that food was what was helping to keep him and his father from starving... Times were so lean that Stiles could not afford even the ceapest grain to feed his horse Roscoe, so Stiles would take Roscoe out with him and le his horse graze on the grass that grew around the vegetable garden as at least it kept the weeds out of his vegetable patches and at the same time kept Roscoe fed. 

The leaner the times became, the more nervous Stiles became as the longer he went without being able to sell enough of the things the Farm produced the longer he went without being able to buy things like grain for Roscoe, seeds for replanting the garden or the things he would need for his next Heat, which would be approaching within two months time and if Stiles could not buy those things he would have every Unbonded Alpha in Ocean Flat trying to beat down his door in an attempt to force a Mating Claim on him.

"Grandpa?.." The little girl interrupted again.

"What's up, Champ?"

"You know how I've been getting sick a lot lately?"

"Yeah... What about it?"

"Well.. I've kinda been getting sick at least once a month.. How come you've never tried to read this to me before?"

"It wasn't the right time, yet."

"And now it is?"

"Something like that."

"Well.. The way I've been getting sick so much has me thinking.. What if that means that I'm about to Present?"

"Are you worried you might Present as an Omega?"

"I don't know.. I mean.. I know that there's nothing wrong with being an Omega, it's just that in the Story, there Stiles is an Omega and that creepy Prince Raeken guy is planning to force Stiles to agree to marry him and if Stiles can't get the stuff to keep his Heat under control before it hits an Unbonded Alpha could just break into his home and force a Mating Claim on him."

"And you're afraid that if you Present as an Omega that you will have to live your life worrying about going through something similiar happening or almost happening to you?"

"Well... Yeah... Kinda.. I guess... I'm already a girl and things are already hard enough as it is.. And The Story just sort of makes it sound like it could really suck to wind up Presenting as an Omega.. And the way you pick now to read it to me..." The Little girl fidgeted with her blanket.

"I don't think you need to worry too much.. You're only eleven years old after all and most people don't Present until they're sixteen. Omegas included." The girl's grandfather said soothingly with a reassuring pat on his grandaughter's shoulder.

"I could be Presenting early!" The girl exclaimed sounding scared.

"Even the "Early Presenters" never Present before age fourteen." The girl's grandfather replied as he took a moment to glance at his watch. "Of course.... There's always a first time for everything... But no.. I don't think that, that's what's going on... You know.. I just now realized, it'll be getting dark soon and you've already had enough excitement for one day... Maybe, I should just let you rest and finish reading the story to you tomorrow."

"No!" The girl shouted hastily, her grandfather's eyebrows furrowed at her outburst "Keep reading.. Please.. I wanna find out what happens to Stiles."

"First you don't want me to read you the story and now you don't want me to stop reading you the story.. Make up your mind." The girl's grandfather admonished his granddaughter with a grin.

"Grandpa.."

"Alright, alright already.. Heh hem... Continuing on from where you interrupted me..."...

"Stiles was lost in thought as he gathered up the last of the ripe vegetables, so he did not hear the sound of approaching horses."

"This is the second time you've ignored the presence of Royalty in your midst." Stiles heard a familiar voice come from behind him.

Stiles turned around quickly, dropping his basket and the vegetables inside it and hurried to bow. "Your Highness." Stiles replied nervously not knowing what else to say.

"Come now, beautiful, Stiles, I believe that last I saw you, I asked you to call me Theo."

"Theo.. Your Highness.." Stiles stammered from his still bowed position.

"Just, Theo, precious one.. And please do rise, I would not have the Omega whose hand I intend to ask for in marriage to bow to me."

"Wait... What?!... You intend to ask for my hand in marriage?!.. But I told you that I swore to never love again!"

"I know dear one... And I think you only swore such a thing because you feared that you COULD NOT ever love again."

"I can't." Stiles stated earnestly.

"You can't know until you try." Prince Raeken climbed down from his steed and strode over to Stiles. "And I want you to try, with me.... After all it is my right as Prince to choose who I wish to wed, and I choose you, if you will have me."

"I'm saying that I won't have you... I apologize, I do.. But that wouldn't be fair to either of us. What if I did try with you and no matter how much time passed I found I really can't love again? Then you would have waisted your time on someone who's broken beyond repair to such a point that they can't love, all the while you have missed out on finding the one person who could have been your True Love."

"What if you're my True Love and by closing yourself away you deny me of the one person who could have been my True Love?"

"I can't be you're True Love." Stiles replied as he stepped away from Prince Raeken.

"Why not?" "Prince Raeken simply just closed the distance between him and Stiles again.

"I've already been someone's True Love!" Stiles shouted as he tried to put more than a proper distance of at least five feet away from Prince Raeken.

"But the one whose True Love you were, died, Stiles and if you don't move on you could be missing your second chance at True Love and at the same time making me miss out on what could be my ONLY chance at True Love." Prince Raeken tried to reach out to Stiles.

"I don't understand why you're so fixated on me!" Stiles yelled, completely forgetting that he was shouting at the future King as he danced back from The Prince's outstretched hand.

"Because when I was first able to truly take in the sight of you back in Dark Oak's Main Square I felt a spark, a connection, I want to get to know you, I HAVE to get to know you, Stiles... What if that means that you might be my only chance at True Love?... Would you really deny me of such a thing?" Prince Raeken seemed to be pleading now as he closed the distance and pressed himself close to Stiles.

"Honestly?.. It might be kinder if I did." Stiles replied sternly as he backed away from the Prince once more "For then you would never have the potential of feeling the kinds of pain that comes from loosing one's True Love."

"But what about what I want?... What if I want to risk the pain?... What if I want to gamble my heart?.. You say it would not be fair to either of us for you to agree to try to move on with me and later find out that no matter how much time passes you still cannot love me, but how is it fair for me, for either of us if you deny us so much as a chance to even try?" Prince Raeken asked as he once again invaded Stiles' personal space.

"How is it fair for me, for either of us, if I try and fail and your heart winds up broken and I'm the one who has to carry the guilt of causing someone that kind of pain?"

"Do you not feel guilt for the pain you cause me by continuing to deny us a chance?"

"Not even one bit of guilt. For the pain you feel now is nothing compared to the pain that comes with the kinds of loss that I have known."

"So.. Then you have made up your mind, have you?" Prince Raeken asked.

"I truly am sorry. But the potential of being the one to inflict the same sorts of pain that I feel on someone else, is too much for me to bare trying to risk... Please.. You have to understand... I truly am trying to spare you the worst sort of heartache."

"It's alright, beautiful, I understand."

Stiles gave a sigh of relief and tried to move away from The Prince once more, thinking that this time The Prince wouldn't invade his personal space now that The Prince seemed to finally understand that when Stiles said "No." he meant "NO."... But before Stiles could move away, Prince Raekn grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

"You know... I have heard talk about the things your father says when deep in his cups.. It would be excedingly horrible if someone thought that his continuing drunkedness and Insanity posed a risk to the people and had him Commited to some place truly awful like Eichen House, where I hear they drill holes into their patients' heads to try to cure their Insanity."

"What are you saying?" Stiles asked in a horrified whisper as he looked up into Prince Raeken's calculating gaze.

"Well.. I am The Crown Prince.. The Future King.. If you were to agree to marry me, that would make your father like family to me... I could keep him safe from such a terrible Fate."

"But only if I agree to marry you... Is that right?" Stiles asked with a quivering bottom lip "Let me guess... If I continue to refuse, you would see to it yourself that my father was Commited to Eichen House by tomorrow.. Wouldn't you?"

"When I first saw you, I knew that you would be intelligent, well, as intelligent as something that's only a stupid Omega could ever be, that is.."

"You foul, loathsome, evil BEAST!" Stiles shouted. 

"Beast?" Prince Raeken gave Stiles an evil leer that turned into a cruel smile. The Prince's eyes began to glow a bright blue and his teeth lengthened into fangs while his neatly trimmed fingernails became razor sharp claws "You know nothing of real Beasts, little Omega."

"Your eyes... Your face.. You're an Abomination!.. The Pirate who killed my True Love.. My father said his eyes glowed red like Hellfire and now here you are another demon spat out from Hell itself with eyes that glow blue!" Stiles yelled then turned to run, but Prince Raeken caught Stiles by the arm, his still extended claws digging into the tender flesh beneath Stiles' shirt sleeve.

"Before you go running off to tell everyone in The Village that monsters are real in an attempt to verify your father's Insane Rantings, think about the fact that you have no proof that Beasts with fangs, claws and glowing eyes in the forms of normal men really do exist."

"But I do have proof, for here you stand with your eyes blazing with their Otherworldly glow and with your fangs and claws bared for the entire world to see."

"Oh... You have proof?" Prince Raeken asked coldly as his claws retracted, his fangs shortened and his eyes ceased glowing, now his features looked entirely Human once more "Do you really?"

"I don't care if I don't have proof, I could still stand in The Vilage's Square and shout it out for everyone to hear that Crown Prince Theo Raeken is a Beast with fangs, claws and glowing eyes just like the monster who killed my True Love."

"And not long after find yourself being burned at the stake."

"I don't care, at least I would have tried to warn everyone what an Abomination was set to be the next Ruler of our Kingdom."

"You may think that you don't care, for with the heaviness of years of heartbreak you feel that you have nothing left to loose.. But know this... I would not let you be burned at the stake.. At least... Not before I made you watch your father burn first."

"You vile bastard!" Stiles shouted as he tried to strike Prince Raeken with his fist.

Prince Raeken caught the young Omega's fist before it could make contact.

"Lucky for you... I like my Omegas spirited." Prince Raeken pulled Stiles closer toward him and began to inappropriately nose at the skin under Stiles' left ear, making Stiles give a full body shudder of disgust. "But.. I don't have to be cruel.. You could still agree to marry me and I would see to it that your father is lavished with every possible luxury.. Just imagine what you agreeing to marry me could do for your father's standing within The Village.. Once he's wealthy, he would no longer be the Insane man that everyone in The Village either avoids or pities.. Because rich people are never considered Insane.. No... Instead they are considered Eccentric and with the wealth I could bestow upon your father as well as the elevation in Social Status that the Engagement of his son to The Future King would give him, your father would definitely be able to afford his every Eccentricity.... He could become Commander of The Local Magistrate again if he so chose, or he could even become a Member of The Village Council.. I could make sure that every possible door would be opened for him.. Neither he nor you would have to be The Village Pariahs anymore.. That has to be worth something... Doesn't it?"

"If... If I agree to marry you.. Will I have the freedom to visit my father?" Stiles asked in a defeated whisper.

"Of course, I'm not a complete monster!.. I see you have a horse.... Well.. If one could still call that poor underfed creature a horse and not a skeleton, that is.. Anyway.. You could bring your "horse" to the castle stables and have the freedom to go riding every day.. IF your horse's thin frame is fattened up some so that it could bear your weight and you so wished to go riding, and of course if weather permitted as I wouldn't have my Fiance falling ill from the idiocy of being out riding in the rain or snow... And of course I would make sure that you would have every possible luxury lavished on you as well.. I would of course want my Fiance to be as happy as possible, after all."

"It would be very hard to be happy living under the same roof as a slimy snake like you... But you have made it clear that I have no other choice but to agree to marry you. I accept your Marriage Proposal, Your Highness." Stiles spat.

The Prince looked thoroughly amused "I may be the snake here, but you, dearest, are the one full of venom."

"As I will be for the rest of our days together.. You may be able to force my hand and make me agree to marry you, you may even be able to force a Mating Claim on me after the farce that will be our wedding day.. But know this... You will never be able to force me to love you. I will resent you for the rest of my days and I will spit my venom at you every chance that I get."

"I look forward to it."

 

~0~

TBC..


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended to have this Chapter up DAYS ago..
> 
> BUT..
> 
> I have five kids and two of those kids are teenagers.
> 
> Imagine me trying to write with my 13 year old daughter popping up behind me (like a damn Shadow Ninja I swear) when I least expect it, while I'm writing SMUT and reading what I'm writing over my shoulder and each time asking a different question or series of questions like: "Mom, why are you making Stiles Princess Buttercup?, Don't you know Stiles is a BOY and Princess Buttercup is a GIRL?".. "You're making Stiles and Derek be in love with each other?!".. "How is Stiles going to get pregnant if he's a boy?"
> 
> And then she got my 15 year old son in on it and both of them thought it was hilarious because every single freaking time they did it after I caught on to what they were doing (trying to take the mickey out their own mom, honestly) I wold flounder and flail and try to hide my screen so they couldn't read what I'm writing..
> 
> And..
> 
> Well..
> 
> All my stuff is touchscreen so a lot of crap kept getting deleted meaning I'd have to rewrite what got deleted or restart all over again completely.. There's probably a ton of mistakes..
> 
> I guess the moral of this story is to not write anything that you wouldn't be comfortable with your teenage kids reading and if you do, wait till the little sh*ts are at school.. And whatever you do don't let them find out any of your Pen Names so they can't look up your stuff at school to show their friends (or god forbid their teachers)..
> 
> ~0~

"Hey guys..".. The little girl's mother interrupted as she walked in carrying bags of food and a carrying container of drinks. "Sorry Lunch is so late..."

"Late?" The girl quipped "Mom, Grandpa said it'd be dark soon.. You might as well call that Dinner."

"I got side tracked." The girl's mom admitted as she gave the girl's grandfather a pointed look "But I made up for it by going out and getting you your favorite."

"Is that a burger?" The girl asked looking almost appeased.

"With fries and soda." 

"Awesome." The girl practically cheered as she made "grabby hands" at the food.

"The mom gave a chuckle as she passed the bags of food to the girl and her grandfather.

The girl took no time at all to fish her burger out of the bag and start eating.

"So, what took you so long, anyway?" The girl asked, but with her mouth full it sounded more like "Po, fat ook eww O aung, anfyay?"

The mom gave her daughter a scolding look "You know better than to talk with your mouth full."

"Forry mmuuphm" The girl replied with her mouth still full as she reached for her drink to wash down her food with.

The girl's mom gave an exasperated shake of her head "Anyway, like I said, I got sidetracked."

"By?.." The girl made a gesture for her mom to elaborate.

"A few things going on downstairs." The girl's mom replied.

"What's going on down stairs?" The girl asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about." The girl's mom answered vaguely.

"Anything I need to help out with down there?" The girl's grandfather asked.

"Nah, pop.. You go ahead and keep reading.. Gotta finish the story before.. Well.. You know.." The girl's mom made a gesture towards the girl.

"As long as you think you can handle things down there." The girl's grandfather stated.

"You act like this is the first time I've done this." The girl's mom said with a small chuckle.

"I know it isn't.. But there's more this time.." 

"More of what?.." the girl interrupted.

The girl's mom and grandfather both looked at her.. "Nothing.." They replied in unison.

"Whatever.. you guys are weird.."

"I'm gonna let you two get back to your story.." The mom stated as she hurried out the door as there was a weird crashing sound coming from downstairs.

"What was that?" The girl asked.

"The cat probably knocked something over."

"Grandpa, we don't have a cat."

"You don't?.. Huh.." The girl's grandfather picked the book back up and began to read before the girl thought to ask anymore questions, luckily enough for him, eleven year olds are easily distracted by the sugary sweatness of soda and the yummy goodness of a burger and fries.

"ONE MONTH LATER.." The girl's grandfather read as the girl happily fished the "bonus fries" out of the bottom of the bag.

"In Dark Oak, hundreds of people from far and wide, gathered together in The Castle's Main Court Yard, all of them looking up at where Prince Raeken stood, waiting for him to make a big announcement."

".."My people.. In one month's time, our beloved Kingdom will have its Five Hundreth Anniversary. On that sundown I will marry an Omega who was once a commoner like yourselves. But perhaps you will not find him so common now. Would you like to meet him?".."

"YES!" The people cheered happily.

"My people, I give to you The Omega Prince, Stiles!"

A Castle door that lead into the Castle's Main Courtyard opened and trumpets began to sound the fanfare of arriving Royalty and then, Stiles, dressed in a fine white Tunic and white silk pants, emerged through the door, stepping onto the gold carpet that had been rolled out in front of him and everyone in The Castle's Main Courtyard, bowed to The Omega Prince, Stiles.

After Prince Raeken Presented Stiles to the Court as his Husband-To-Be, a Feast was held in honor of Prince Raeken's Fiance.

Stiles sat in The Place of Honor to The Right Side of The King, Prince Theo Raeken's father, Ennis Raeken. The Prince's mother, The Queen, Kali Raeken, sat on The King's Left Side, with Prince Raeken sitting on the other side of Stiles, effectively trapping Stiles between The Prince and The King. The situation was tense and intimidating, especially with so many people clammoring to line up and "Congratulate Stiles and wish him a long and happy marriage filled with strong and healthy children.", making Stiles wish the Earth would crack open and swallow him whole because him being happy in the impending marriage to a monster like Prince Raeken, was the last thing that was going to happen and Stiles just wanted to shout at the people that they were all blind fools that couldn't see the Unholy Beasts that Ruled The Kingdom for what they were, as both The King and The Queen had glowed their eyes at him several times over the course of the past month, constantly reminding him that The Prince was not the only monster to worry about within The Castle walls.

Prince Raeken spoke to each Well-Wisher, thanking them, and animatedly telling them of how he and Stiles had "Fallen in love.", how Stiles had played hard to get at first, refusing to let even The Crown Prince Court him as the "poor Omega" had suffered the heartbreak of losing his "first" True Love some years prior and had not wanted to believe he could love again because he had feared the potential of coming to feel that same kind of pain again or being the cause of someone else coming to know that kind of pain. The Prince told of how his "continuing persistance" finally got Stiles to reluctantly agree to not only be Courted by him, but to also eventually agree to wed him. With no effort at all, The Prince had an entire Kingdom believing his twisted tale, making a mockery of True Love and pulling the wool over the eyes of those who were seeing Stiles' "story of True Love with Prince Raeken" as a symbol of hope that there could be second chances at True Love even after a devestating loss like the one Stiles had suffered when he lost his "first" True Love.

Stiles spent most of the Feast biting his tongue to keep from screaming that Derek had been and would always be, his ONLY True Love and that he didn't want Prince Raeken or his family of monsters anywhere near him.

Once The Feast in his honor concluded, Stiles went to his Chambers and changed out of his "Royal Garb" as he had come to call it and donned his favorite red tunic that he had, had ever since before Derek died, then he fled to the stables, where his beloved horse, Roscoe, his only friend there at The Castle Grounds, awaited their daily ride.

His daily ride with Roscoe, was the only thing Stiles was able to find some sort of freedom in and the only joy he found were the days where he could ride out to Ocean Flat to visit his father and reassure himself that Prince Raeken was keeping his word about leaving his father to live the life of an Eccentric Man of Wealth and Well-Standing Stature.

Stiles found that he could take some comfort in the fact that his father had stopped drinking and had retaken his place as Commander of Ocean Flat's Local Magistrate, at least his father could live a life of ignorant bliss, thinking that his son had found love once more with The Crown Prince of all people and that all of the Lavish Trappings and Fineries of Wealth that Prince Raeken gifted to him came out of The Prince's pure and deep love for his son. It made Stiles want to be sick at times, but, as sick as it made him want to be in those times, he could happily leave his father to the delusions that his son was happy and loved as it was far kinder than the truth. The truth that his son was trapped, forced into agreeing to marry a monster with fangs, claws and glowing eyes just like the monster that had murdered Derek and had very nearly murdered his father as well had also possessed, a monster just like the one responsible for causing he and his father to fall into poverty which caused the mess that Stiles was now trapped in. 

It made Stiles wish for a slow and painful death to befall The Dread Pirate Roberts.

Stiles put a light blue saddle onto Roscoe's back, the saddle was one of the few possessions that Stiles still had left that had belonged to his mother, after he made sure the saddle was sufficiently tightened he climbed onto Roscoe's back and set out of The Castle grounds at a trot.

As soon as he was out of the Castle walls and the land opened up into flat, grassy plains, Stiles picked up speed, racing his horse away from The Castle, wishing that he could flee and escape his Fate.

His thoughts playing the words of the Well-Wishers at the Feast earlier... Some had wished him strong and healthy children. The thought of giving birth to Prince Raeken's children made his stomach curdle. But he knew it would be expected of him to provide The Kingdom with the next Heir to The Throne at some point after his marriage to The Crown Prince. And seeing as Prince Raeken had set the date of their impending marriage to fall on the exact date of Stiles' next expected Heat, Stiles had no doubt that Prince Raeken intended to impregnate him with that Heir on their Wedding Night, quite possibly during The Mating Claim that Prince Raeken would be forcing on him.

Stiles shuddered at the thought.

As the wedding date drew nearer, so did the wedding night, something that made Stiles' soul curl with dread.

He dug his heels into Roscoe's side, making the horse pick up even more speed until it felt like his horse could grow wings and fly him away from all of his troubles.

The flat, grassy plains gave way to thick trees and uneven terrain, so Stiles slowed Roscoe's pace down to a leisurely walk, he was at least five miles away from the Castle walls now and felt like he could finally unwind and let himself feel the relaxation that only getting away from the Castle, if only for a few hours a day, could bring. 

He had resigned himself to the knowledge that moments like these were the closest to free he would ever be again so he intended to savor every second of these moments that he could get.

An hour or so later he came upon four men who were standing next to a handwagon that had a broken wheel.

One man was a behemoth mountain of muscle that would be intimidating save for the smile that softened his features, one man looked no older than Stiles and had dark, curly hair and big blue eyes that made him look like a harmless puppy, another man was extremely young looking with short black hair, hazel eyes and long eyelashes, and the forth man was an older, granfatherly looking gentleman.

It was the older, grandfatherly gentleman that called out as Stiles drew nearer.

"Pardon me, young Sir... We lost our way in the woods and now our wagon has broken a wheel on the rough terrain. Could you please point us to the nearest Village so that we may find our bearings and get our wagon repaired?"

The four men drew nearer to Stiles and Roscoe, Stiles didn't think much of it for it seemed like they were expecting directions and it would be only natural if they needed to be closer to hear him so that they would not potentially miss any important details he could give them about how to get to the nearest Village so that they wouldn't just simply wind up lost again.

"I apologize, Sirs. You might be in for a bit of a trek through the woods. There's absolutely nothing nearby.. Nothing for miles in fact."

"Then there will be no one to hear you scream!" The older man exclaimed smugly.

Stiles screamed for help, but suddenly the mountain of a man reached up with lightening speed and pinched the side of Stiles' neck, making Stiles fall unconscious, the young Omega's scream being cut off abruptly. The Giant caught Stiles before he could fall to the ground from his horse's saddle, then he slung the unconscious Omega over his shoulder like Stiles was nothing more than a sack of flour.

The old man reached into a bag that was hidden behind a rock beside the handwagon and drew out a piece of fabric which he began ripping with his hands.

"Gerard, what is that you're tearing up?" The young man with dark, curly hair and blue eyes asked.

"It's fabric from the Uniform of one of Calavera's Soldiers." Gerard replied as he continued to stratigically tear the fabric.

"Calevera?.. Where is that?" The Giant asked.

"It's the Kingdom across the sea, they're the sworn enemies of The Kingdom of Old Oak." The old man, Gerard, replied as he tied the torn piece of fabric to Roscoe's saddle, then Gerard turned the horse around facing back the direction Stiles had ridden from "Go!" Gerard shouted as he slapped the horse on the rear.

Roscoe let out a shocked whinny then went running through the woods.

Then Gerard turned to trek through the woods in the opposite direction from the direction the horse had ran and his three fellow kidnappers were forced to hurry after him. 

"Once the horse reaches the Castle, the fabric will make The Prince suspect that his enemies, The Calavera's, have abducted his love." Gerard continued speaking as the other three men fell into step behind him. 

They reached a place where the edge of the forest met with the edge of the sea. There, a boat waited innocuously tied to a long hidden dock.

The four men climbed onto the ship and once on board, The Giant gently laid Stiles down on a comfortable pile of blankets that had been arranged on the deck of the boat. 

"Where did those blankets come from?" Gerard asked sternly.

"When we last stopped for supplies, I stole these so that when we brought The Omega on board he would have something to lay on and cover up with if he got cold..." The Giant replied.

"Oh, well.. Wasn't that nice of you?" Gerard spat sarcastically.

The Giant was seemingly a simple minded man who did not understand that the older man was being sarcastic, so his reply was genuine when he said "I'd like to think so.. After all we may be kidnapping him but there's no need for him to be uncomfortable laying on the hard wood of the boat's deck or for him to catch a chill."

"You're worried about him catching a chill?!" Gerard eclaimed "A chill?!.. You oversized moron, once we reach The Calavera Frontier, it won't matter if The Omega caught a chill, because The Omega is set to die!.. And once Prince Raeken finds the dead body of his beloved on The Kingdom of Calavera's lands, his suspicions that his Fiance was taken by his enemies will be totally confirmed! Then Prince Raeken will take The Kingdom of Old Oak to war against The Kingdom of Calavera to avenge his beloved.. And we four will recieve an abudance of wealth from the man who hired us."

"You never said anything about killing anyone." The Giant stated, now sounding deeply troubled.

"Listen... Boyd." Gerard addressed The Giant "I've hired you and Isaac." At this, Gerard gestured to the curly haired man, who looked like he was fighting to keep his mouth shut about the situation as he set about rigging the boat's sail. "To help me start a war. It's a prestigious line of work, with long and glorious traditions of murder, mayhem and underhanded tactics... A tradition that I am gladly handing down to not just you two, but to my one and only grandchild." Gerard gestured to the extremely young looking boy who had yet to say a word so far.

"I just don't think it's right to kill an innocent Omega." The Giant, Boyd, replied.

"Am I going insane or did the word "THINK" just escape your lips?!" Gerard yelled up into Boyd's face " You were not hired for your brains, you HIPPOPOTAMIC LAND MASS!"

"I agree with Boyd." Isaac chimed in from his place of rigging the boat's sail and it was clear that the young curly haired man was purposefully taking his time in order to delay things for as long as possible.

"What happens to him is not either of your concerns. I will kill him!.. And remember this." Gerard snarled and waved a pointed finger at Isaac "NEVER forget that when I found YOU, you were so slobbering drunk that you couldn't even buy brandy!.. And YOU!" He shouted pointing at Boyd "Friendless, brainless, helpless, HOPELESS!.. Do you want me to send you back to where you were?! Fighting midgets for nearly nothing in Greenland?"

"Hey.. They consider the word "midget" deragatory, they prefer to be referred to as "short statured"." Boyd interjected.

"Short statured?" Gerard spluttered indignantly. "I don't care how some no named MIDGETS in Greenland want to be referred as!"..

"They have names.. Steven and George and they are very nice people." Boyd interrupted, then Boyd looked over at Isaac and gave him a grin "They even sent me an invitation to their wedding."

Gerard looked flabbergasted for a moment then gave a groan of irritation "Fine.. Do you want me to send you back to where you were? Fighting Steven and George who prefer to be referred to as "short statured" and are actually very nice people, for nearly nothing in Greenland?"

"No.. Why would I want to go back to Greenland right now?... Steven and George's wedding isn't until Spring."

"Oh my god!.. That's not the point!... You know what?!... Never mind!" Gerard yelled, his hands flailing as he did so, "Both of you stop dallying about, I want this boat ready to set sail, right now!" Then Gerard turned on his heel and stomped away going to the wheel of the ship.

"And you!" Gerard shouted at his grandchild "Get to work, I'm not keeping you around to sit on your rear and look pretty!"

"Gerard... He sure can fuss." Isaac stated as Boyd and Gerard's grandchild went to work helping him with the sail.

"Fuss, fuss, I think he likes to scream at us." Boyd replied with a grin. Gerard's grandchild gave a timid smile at that but still did not speak.

"He probably really means no harm." Isaac stated conversationally as he worked as slowly as mpossible to lower the sail.

"Well, he's very short on.. charm!" Boyd remarked having caught onto Isaac's tactics and was pretending to untie knots in the ropes to get the sail down when in reality he was just retying what Isaac had already untied.

"Ah, I see you have a gift for rhyme." Isaac sounded impressed as he gave a nod at the retied ropes and handed Boyd more untied ropes for Boyd to retie.

"Some of the time." Boyd replied with a shrug of one of his shoulders as he retied the ropes.

"Knock it off, all of you and get to work!" Gerard yelled.

"Boyd... Are there rocks ahead?" Isaac asked with a smug smile as he finally did some actual work to get the sails undone for real this time.

"If there are, we'll all be dead." Was Boyd's answer to Isaac's querry as he pulled his weight to get the sails finally lowered... The entire time a silent communication, a silent agreement, going on between Boyd and Isaac that they would stall whenever and however they could to give the Omega a chance at being rescued now that they knew that Gerard wanted to kill him.

"Enough rhymes, now, I mean it!" Gerard screamed at them.

"Anybody want a peanut?" Boyd asked with a smirk.

"GAHHH!" Gerard exclaimed in frustration as the sail was finally lowered and the boat began to pull away from the hidden dock.

Four hours later found Gerard and his Crew of fellow kidnappers far out to sea, the winds had been with them and had helped them make good time, if the winds stayed with them, they could reach The Kingdom of Calavera not long after sunrise.

MEANWHILE.. BACK AT THE CASTLE..

"Your Highness!" A Royal Guard called to Prince Raeken. "Your beloved's horse was found wondering riderless in the field outside the Castle walls."

"Have the horse brought to the stables and get a search party together.. My beloved may have fallen off his horse and might be laying hurt somewhere!" Prince Raeken commanded.

The Royal Guard bustled in haste to obey.

Later.. Down in the stables, Prince Raeken ran in just as Roscoe was lead into one of the stalls.

"Is there any blood, any sign that my beloved was hurt?" Prince Raekenlooked and sounded very convencingly concerned.

"No, Your Highness... But one of the men did find this." One of The Royal Guards held out a piece of fabric to Prince Raeken.

"It's a piece of fabric from one of the Uniforms of our enemy's Soldiers!.. The Kingdom of Calavera must have sent someone to take my beloved!".. I want every Guard and Soldier in The Kingdom at my side within the hour! We are going to go to Calavera and bring my beloved home and GOD help The Kingdom of Calavera's Rulers if my beloved has been harmed because I will see to it that they pay dearly if so much as a hair on my beloved's head is out of place!" Prince Raeken bellowed, getting everyone present worked into a frenzy.. By the time the sun set, the entire Kingdom would have heard of Prince Raeken's ordeal.

Prince Raeken slipped away from the stables and headed to his Confrence Chamber.

"So.. Word has it that your little Omega has escaped." Jackson stated as Prince Raeken entered The Confrence Chamber. "Do you want me to go butcher his father?"

"He didn't escape, Jackson, he was kidnapped." Prince Raeken replied as he sat down primly at The desk within te Confrence Chamber/

"This "kidnapping" could have been set up as a ruse so that The Omega could get away." Jackson stated, eager to press the matter, it was clear that he was hungry to kill..

"No.. I know for a fact that he was kidnapped, because I'M the one who had him kidnapped." Prince Raeken stated with a roll of his eyes as he set about drawing up an attack plan for the upcoming battle against The Kingdom of Calavera that he was trying to start while making it look like Calavera had taken the first swing that started the fighting. 

"Ah.. Your scheme.." Jackson remarked as he leaned against the Confrence Chamber door.

"Yes, my scheme... Almost the entire Kingdom has taken a shine to Stiles and they know of the tale about how he lost his "Fiirst True Love" and how that heartbreak made him never want to love again for fear of either suffering that same kind of pain again or somehow causing someone else that same kind of pain.. Once I find Stiles' body I will fall down screaming to the heavens that I now know the pain my beloved was trying to spare me from.. My pain will become almost the whole Kingdom's pain as Stiles' second chance of True Love and what I will adamantly claim was my ONLY chance at True Love will have been snuffed out like the flame of a candle and all of the hope Stiles' story of a second chance at True Love gave so many people will be snuffed out with it.. Quite honestly I doubt we will make it to the end of the week before The Kingdom is ready to go to war to avenge Stiles.. And it would look very bad if my beloved were to be kidnapped and killed AND my beloved's father met with a tragic end at around the same time." Prince Raeken didn't look up from the plans he was drawing up.

"So.. You're saying to wait till a more appropriate time to kill his father?" Jackson quipped playfully.

"My god, Jackson, you are completely incorrigible." Prince Raeken stated with amusement.

"I'm not hearing a "No.".."

"I suppose you really aren't, are you?"

"So.. How long do you want me to wait?."

"Give it at the very least six months.. After all.. We haven't even found my Fiance's body yet and when we do I want to have an appropriate amount of time to appear to grieve over his death before I have to pretend to grieve over his father's death as well... And we don't want to rouse suspicion with the tragedy of the untimely death of my father having to fit somewhere in between there."

"And you call me the incorrigible one." Jackson retorted.

What Jackson and Prince Raeken did not know was that a servant girl who had been in service at the Castle for only a week overheard the entire conversation between them and had run off to tell others who the information might be important to.

OFF THE COAST OF THE KINGDOM OF OLD OAK...

The sun had set, casting darkness over the boat. It was a cloudy night so there was no moonlight to see by and Gerard ordered his grandchild to light all of the lanterns they had on the boat so that they could see.

"Wait." Isaac whispered to Gerard, lifting his hand and pointing into the inky black darkness.

"What?.. Why are you whispering?" Gerard asked in frustration "What are you pointing at?"

"There's another boat out there, I think it's been following us for some time."

"That would be inconceivable.. I see nothing out there.. You're just imagining things." Gerard huffed as he squinted to see in the darkness and saw nothing.

Just then, Stiles began to rouse from his state of unconsciousness.

"Wha?.." Stiles groaned groggily "Where am I?"

"On a boat bound for The Kingdom of Calavera, Your Highness." Gerard replied cruelly.

"No.. Please... You have to take me back.. Prince Raeken might try to end my father's life if he thinks I've tried to escape him!" Stiles shouted panickedly as he shot up into a sitting position.

"The only life you should be worried about, Higness, is your own." Gerard stated with a sneer.

Gerard's grandchild finished lighting all of the lanterns on the boat, giving enough light to see quite a ways all around the boat.

"Are you certain that no one could possibly be following us?" Isaac asked as he continued to stare out into the slightly illuminated darkness from the back of the boat.

"I've already told you, it would be absolutely, totally, completely, inconceivable... No one in Calavera knows what we've done and no one in Old Oak could have gotten here so fast... Out of curiousity.. Why do you ask yet again?"

"Oh.. It's nothing.. I just happened to look behind us and that imaginary boat I told you about earlier was there." Isaac gave a gesture, waving his hand in a backwards motion as if to vaguely indicate that the boat he was seeing was out there.

Gerard ran to the back of the boat and squinted to see what Isaac was talking about and sure enough right at the edge of where the light of their lanterns fell he could make out the shape of a boat.

Gerard made a "Tsk'ing" noise and said "It's probably just some drunk fisherman out for a pleasure cruise."

"At night?" Boyd asked as he joined Gerard and Isaac at the back of the boat.

"Through eel infested waters?" Isaac added.

"Well.. How other people pass their time makes no never mind to me.. I'm absolutely positive, that, that boat being out here has absolutely nothing to do with us or what we've done." Gerard replied with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Stiles overheard three of his kidnappers talking of a boat that was not far behind them and his fourth kidnapper was distracted with tying knots in pieces of rope.

Knowing that this might be his only chance to be rescued from his kidnappers and returned to The Castle before Prince Raeken did something horrible to his father, Stiles stood up and ran to the side of the boat and began shouting at the top of his lungs and waving his arms.

"HELP! I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED!" Stiles screamed.

"Get him quiet!" Gerard ordered in a panicked voice.

"Come, now, little Omega." Boyd tried as he reached his hand out to grab Stiles.

Stiles backed away, climbing up onto the side of the boat "Get away from me!.. HELP!... HELP ME, PLEASE!.. I'VE BEEN KIDNAPPED!" Stiles screamed as he tried to run along the edge of the side of the boat to keep out of the reach of the kidnappers trying to grab at him. 

The young Omega had incredible balance and he was able to run along the narrow edge with no trouble. That is, until a rouge swell, clapped the side of the boat, spraying water onto the edge, causing Stiles to loose his footing and fall into the water.

Finding being off the boat away from his kidnappers better than being on it where they could grab him and make him face their wraths, Stiles began swimming, hoping to make his way to the other boat in hopes of being rescued from his kidnappers.

"Go in after him!" Gerard screamed.

"I can't swim." Isaac replied.

Gerard looked to Boyd.

"I can only dog paddle."

Gerard's grandchild pretended to have fallen asleep tying knots in the ropes to keep from being ordered to go into the water after Stiles.

"Fine!" Gerard shouted angrily "Turn the boat around.. Go after him!"

Once Stiles saw that the boat his kidnappers was on was giving chase, Stiles started swimming faster... Desperate to make it to the other boat.. And with every other stroke he would scream for help, hoping that someone on the other boat would hear him.

Suddenly.. There was this horrendous shrieking noise and the water around Stiles began to churn.

"Do you know what that sound is, Your Highness?" Gerard called out "That is the sound the Shrieking Eels.. If you don't believe me.. Just wait! They always grow louder when they're about to feed on Human flesh!"

Just then an eel swam by Stiles, proving that Gerard was not lying.

"If you swim back now, I promise, no harm will come to you. I doubt you will get such an offer from the eels."

Suddenly an eel swam straight for Stiles, charging through the water.. Leaping up with its razor sharp teeth inches from Stiles' face."..

"Stiles does not get eaten by the eeals at this time." The grandfather was the one interrupting the story this time.

"Excuse me.. What?" His granddaughter asked.

"The eel isn't going to get Stiles.. I'm explaining that to you because you looked nervous."

"I wasn't nervous." His granddaughter stated in complete denial.

The girl's grandfather gave her a disbelieving look.

"Okay.. Maybe I was a little bit concerned, but that's not the same thing."

"Are you sure?.. Because I could always stop reading for now and pick back up where we left off tomorrow?"

"No.. It's okay.. You could keep reading.. If you want."

"Only if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"Okay.."

"Do you know what that sound is, Your Highness?" Gerard called out "That is the sound the Shrieking Eels.."..

"We're passed that grandpa, you read that part already." The granddaughter interrupted.

"Did I now?"

The granddaughter nodded.

"Oh, my goodness, I'm sorry.. I can't seem to remember where I left off."

"The eel was charging at Stiles! Leaping up out of the water with its razor sharp teeth inches from Stiles' face!" The granddaughter exclaimed animatedly, obviously very eager to hear the story, now.

"Oh, yes.. That's right.. Let me just find it.. Here we are.."

"Suddenly an eel swam straight for Stiles, charging through the water.. Leaping up with its razor sharp teeth inches from Stiles' face... Boyd's huge fist clammored down on top of the eels' head, saving Stiles from the eel. Then Boyd pulled Stiles back into the boat... Turns out, during all of the commotion, Gerard and his Crew of fellow kidnappers had pulled the boat right up behind Stiles, without Stiles even noticing as he had been distracted by the eels swimming around him."

"Wow." The granddaughter whispered in awe.

"Wow, indeed." Her grandfather acknowledged with a nod.

".."That was very foolish, Your Highness." Gerard told Stiles. "You! Tie him up!" he shouted at Boyd... "Isaac, get us back on course to Calavera!".."

Boyd did as he was told and Stiles found his wrists and ankles quickly bound as the boat began to change course back to the way it had been heading in the first place.

Stiles glared at Boyd.

"Don't give me that look, you're the one who tried to go swimming with man-eating eels." Boyd remarked at Stiles' glare.

"And you're one of the ones who kidnapped me from my homeland, I think I'm entitled to glare at you all I want." Stiles stated sternly.

"It's not like I like my job any more than you do, Highness. But one must make a living.".. Boyd replied.

"Oh yes.. One must live." Stiles spat coldly.

"Just try to get some sleep, Your Highness." Boyd suggested kindly "Tomorrow is going to be a long day for you." at this, Boyd made of show of rearranging the blankets back into a comfortable pile for Stiles to lay on, leaving one to the side for Stiles to cover up with.

Stiles gave a huff that told of how he wanted to refuse, but the pile of blankets did look more comfortable than the bare wood of the deck, so Stiles started to scoot over to the pile, having a hard time of it with his bound wrists and ankles.

Seeing The Omega Prince's struggle, Boyd scooped Stiles up and gently placed him in the middle of the fluffiest part of the pile and pulled the extra blanket over Stiles'.

"Thank you." Stiles murmured.

Boyd just gave Stiles a look of surprise.

"Gerard... I think that boat is getting closer." Stiles could hear Isaac saying.

"It's no concern of ours! Just worry about doing your job!" Gerard exclaimed while walking over to where Stiles lay and put his foot in the middle of Stiles' chest "And you.. What were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that?.. It was rather foolhearty, if you ask me.. But.. Of course, I imagine that you think you were brave."

"Braver than the band of thugs that kidnapped me." Stiles retorted venomously.

"Boyd's right you know.. You should get some sleep.. Because if you don't sleep tonight then you won't sleep again till you're dead." Gerard said callously as he began to put his weight on the foot in the middle of Stiles' chest body.

Stiles gave a grunt of discomfort as he felt his ribs strain under the pressure.

"Hey.. Enough of that, now." Isaac spoke up "We've kidnapped him, terrified him and threatened to end his life, there's no need to add directly and purposefully causing him physical pain to the mix... Besides, he's tied up.. It's bad sportsmanship."

Gerard moved his foot off of Stiles "Sleep while you still can.. Because once we reach Calavera's Frontier.. You're mine!.. And you best believe that if you keep causing trouble then I won't be giving you an easy or painless death!"

Stiles curled in on himself as best he could as Gerard moved away. The young Omega was terrified but he wouldn't let his kidnappers see the tears in his eyes.

There were sounds of some of his kidnappers talking to one another and bustling around on the boat distacting his tired, yet, terrified mind from being able to sleep, but it wasn't like Stiles could do anything about all the noise or his fear in his current perdicament, so instead he focused on the gentle rocking of the boat and soon it lulled him to sleep.

"That boat from last night, it's right on top of us!" Isaac exclaimed, rousing Stiles from his slumber.

Stiles opened his eyes to see the sky beginning to lighten and realized that his thoroughly exhausted state must have managed to help him sleep all the way through the night.. It was already daybreak.

"Whoever's on that boat is too late.. See?.. We've already reached the Coast of Calavera.."

"I wonder if he's using the same wind we are using." Isaac mused.

"It doesn't matter if they catch up with us now.. We're going up the shear side of those cliffs over there." Gerard said as he pointed at a wall of sharp jagged rocks that made up the side of the cliffs.

"That's insanity." Isaac replied as he looked up at the shear face of the cliffs.

"That's why the people in the boat behind us won't catch us once we start the climb.. Only Boyd is strong enough to go up our way."

"Thank you, Gerard.. I find that days always go better when they start out with a nice compliment from somebody... Isaac.. Your hair looks nice today."

"My hair looks nice every day." Isaac said with a smirk.

"Enough you two!" Gerard snapped.

"I wonder.. When we reach the top of those cliffs, will there be a view?" Boyd chimed in.

"Not with the rhymes again!" Gerard complained.

Boyd carried Stiles off of the boat while Gerard's grandchild followed behind him with all of the rope and Isaac carried a fencing sword and five small satchels with their supplies inside and Gerard brought up the rear carrying nothing.

Once they were on dry land, Boyd placed Stiles down and cut his wrists and ankles free.

Stiles wobbled a bit, but Boyd didn't let him fall.

"Take a minute to get rid of your sea legs." Boyd offered kindly to Stiles.

"No!.. No time!" Gerard ordered hastily.

"You!" Gerard ordered at his grandchild "Get a climbing harness on our young Omega Prince, here and get him properly secured to Boyd!"

Gerard's grandchild gave a nod and moved to follow Gerard's orders.

"I've never heard you speak." Boyd stated as Gerard's grandchild made his way over to him and began to secure a harness around Stiles then secure Stiles to him. "Are you Mute?"

Gerard's grandchild shook his head "No."..

"Are you afraid you will say something embarrasing?" Boyd tried again.

Another shake of the head "No."..

"Are you intimidated by my large stature and Isaac's good looks?" 

This got a fond smile and another headshake "No."..

"Then why don't you speak? Are you afraid of your grandfather?"

This got a head tilt as Gerard's grandchild seemed to be carefully contemplating how to answer that.

"Don't worry... I know he can be mean.. But I'm sure he's kind on the inside."

"Enough dailying you two!.. Boyd! Get over here!" Gerard shouted.

Gerard's grandchild gave a half shrug and a raise of eyebrows as if to say "Oh yes.. Very kind on the inside.".. But didn't say one word. Boyd took it as a sign to stop trying to push the boy to speak.

Boyd had no choice but to carry Stiles with him, ignoring Stiles' complaints of the indignity of such a thing, as Stiles was firmly secured to him by a climbing harness. Boyd made his way over to the bottom of the shear cliff face. There a long rope that was very big around, already waited, leading up the cliff face.

"Everyone get in your harnesses and secure yourselves to Boyd." Gerard commanded.

"Boyd.. Do you think you can carry all of our weight combined, all the way to the top of these cliffs?" Isaac asked.

"Of course he can!" Gerard interjected before Boyd could even try to answer. "Now do as you're told!"

Once everyone secured their harnesses to Boyd that put Stiles right in the center of the bodies of all his kidnappers. It was a very uncomfortable experience for Stiles. But even more of an uncomfortable experience was when Boyd had started to climb.

Stiles had never been any higher off the ground than his balcony back at The Castle. So being hundreds of feet in the air was a new and dizzingly terrifying thing for Stiles. Stiles reached up and looped his arms around Boyd's massive neck and squeezed his eyes shut to keep from seeing the ground continuing to get further and further away.

Stiles felt someone in one of the harnesses next to him shift and he bit his lip to keep from screaming, pleading with the person to PLEASE hold still and not cause them to fall.

"Someone from the boat behind us.. They're climbing the rope and he's gaining on us!" Isaac exclaimed.

"What?!" Gerard shouted and Stiles could feel another harness shifting. "Inconceivable!... Boyd! Climb faster!"

"I thought I was already climbing faster."

"You were supposed to be this huge colossus.. You were supposed to be this GREAT LEGENDARY THING!.. And yet.. He gains!" Gerard seethed angrily.

"Well, I am carrying four other people.. He's only got himself." Boyd said in his own Self-Defense.

"I do not except excuses!" Gerard shouted "I'm just going to have to find myself a new Giant, that's all."

"Gerard, don't say such things.. Please?" 

"DID I MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOUR JOB IS AT STAKE?!" Gerard bellowed.

Boyd had to put all of his energy and effort into it, but his climbing speed increased, if only slightly.. Effectively putting enough distance between them and the man following them that they were able to make it to the top of the cliffs while the man was still at least fifty feet bellow them.

Once at the top of the cliffs, Stiles scrambled away frrom the edge, trying not to have a Panic Attack after getting a small glimpse of how high up they were.

"Cut the rope!" Gerard ordered at Isaac.

Isaac drew a dagger from his side and sliced at the rope until it was completely severed.

"He's still there." Boyd commented as he peered over the cliff's edge.

Isaac peered over the edge as well.

"Impressive.. He must have very strong arms." Isaac stated with an impressed look on his face.

'He didn't fall?!... Inconceivable!" Gerard shouted as he too looked over the edge.

"You keep using that word.. I do not think it means what you think it means." Isaac interjected. "Look! He's climbing."

"Wow.. He seems very persistant." Boyd commented.

"Whoever he is, he obviously knows we have The Omega Prince and therefore he must die." Gerard stated with a sneer as he gazed down at the man trying to climb up the cliffs after them.

Now that the man was closer, one could see that he was wearing all black, including a black bandana around his head and a black mask on his face.

"You!.. Carry him!" Gerard shouted at Boyd while pointing to Stiles. "You grab our supplies!" he shouted at his grandchild. "We're going to head straight for Calavera's Frontier.. And you!.." Gerard shouted, pointing at Isaac "You stay here.. If he falls, fine.. If he doesn't.. Cut him down with your sword.. Then catch up with us."

"I'm going to duel him left handed." Isaac replied.

"You know what a hurry we're in!" Gerard complained.

"It's the only way I can be satisfied.. If I use my right, it will be over too quickly." Isaac stated with a pensive look on his face.

"Fine! Have it your way!" Gerard shouted then begand to stomp away, walking off toward Calavera's frontier.

"Be careful.. People in masks can't be trusted." Boyd told Isaac as he clasped a hand on Isaac's shoulder.

"I'm waiting!" Gerard bellowed and his grandchild hurried after him while Boyd lumbered over to Stiles, retying Stiles' wrists then picking up the young Omega and tossing him over his shoulder then following after the other two.

After the others were out of sight and earshot, Isaac leaned over and peered down at the man climbing up towards him and saw that the man was still a rather long distance away considering that Isaac was in a hurry.

"Hello, there!" Isaac called down to The Man in The Mask "Slow going?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but this isn't as easy as it looks!" The Man in The Mask shouted up rather moodily. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't distract me!"

"Sorry!' Isaac apologized.

"No harm done." The Man in The Mask replied with a grunt of effort as he hefted himself up to his next handhold.

A few minutes later and Isaac was impatient again.

Isaac leaned back over, seeing that The Man in The Mask was still at least thirty feet below him.

Isaac gave a huff of frustration, then called down again "Sorry.. But do you think you could maybe speed things up?"

"If you're in such a hurry, perhaps you could lower a rope?.. Or maybe a tree branch.. Or find pretty much anything actually useful to do."

"I could do that!.. I have some rope up here that I could lower down to you.. But I don't think you'd accept my help, since I'm only waiting around to kill you."

"That does put a damper on our relationship."

"But.. I promise not to kill you until after you have safely reached the top."

"You're not exactly giving me a reason to trust you.. You are just going to have to wait."

"I could give you my word as a French Man?" Isaac tried.

"No good.. I've known too many French Men."

"So.. There's no way you'll trust me?"

"Nothing good comes to mind."

"I swear on the soul of my father, Wes Lahey, you will reach the top alive."

"Throw me the rope." The Man in The Mask groaned.

Tha Masked Man climbed the rope and reached the top, looking warrily up at Isaac, but Isaac simply offered him his left hand to help him up over the edge.

"Thank you." The Masked Man panted as he cleared the edge then reached to draw the sword that was tied at his waist.

"No.. No... None of that just yet.. Catch your breath.. We'll wait till you're ready." Isaac gave a wave over at a small boulder making a gesture for The Masked Man to sit.

"Again... Thank you." The Masked Man cautiously sat down on the small boulder and Isacc sat down on a log about a three feet in front of The Masked Man.

"I don't mean to pry.. But you wouldn't happen to have six fingers on your left hand, would you?" Isaac inquired as he shifted to look at The Masked Man's hands.

The Masked Man held up his left hand showing that he had only five fingers on his left hand.

"Do you always start conversations this way?" The Masked Man asked.

"My father.. he was slaughter by a six fingered man." Isaac replied.

The Masked Man leaned in towards Isaac clearly showing that he had every intention of lending an ear should the young man need one.

"My father was a great sword maker. One day, The Six Fingered Man appeared and requested my father to make him a special sword to that had a special grip to accomidate the extra finger on his left hand... He offered my father a lot of money... My father.. He took the job.. He slaved away for an entire year before he was done.. And when the sword was complete it was the finest one my father had ever made.. it was.. His masterpiece."

Isaac drew his sword and held it out trustingly towards The Man in The Mask.

The Man in The Mask, took the sword with a nod of his head.. The Masked Man, held the sword and admired it reverently.. "It truly is a fine sword.. I've never seen its equal." he told the curly haired young man as he returned his sword to him.

"The Six Fingered Man returned and demanded it, but at one-tenth the price he promised to pay. My father refused. Then without even a word, The Six Fingered Man stabbed my father through the heart, killing him.. I loved my father, very much. So, naturally, I challenged his murderer to a duel... The Six Fingered Man left me with my life.. But my life wasn't the only thing he left me with."

At that, Isaac peeled open his shirt to reveal scars on his chest that looked like the wounds that the scars had come from had been made by SIX CLAWS.

"It turned out that The Six Fingered Man was not just a man after all.. He was some kind of Unholy Beast.. With SCALES, like a serpent on his left hand.."

"Scales?.. On the same hand with the six fingers?" The Masked Man asked as he leaned further forward clearly curious about such an odd thing.

"Yes.. Normally... The Six Fingered Man would wear a glove to cover that hand when he would come to check the progress on the making of the sword he wanted.. But after he beat me in the duel he took off that glove so that I could see that I was not dealing with no mere mortal.. And his eyes.. They went from looking Human to glowing gold and being slitted, like a snake's.."

"How old were you?" The Masked Man querried.

"I was eleven years old... After I healed from my wounds and was strong enough, I dedicated my life to the study of not only fencing but to the study of all things Otherworldly and how, in theory, to kill those Otherworldly things.. So that when I next see my father's murderer, I will not fail. I will go up to The Six Fingered Man and say, "Hello, my name is Isaac Lahey. You killed my father. Prepare to die." and then I will run him through with my Monkshood coated blade."

"You coated the blade of your sword in Monkshood?" The Masked Man asked sounding nervous.

Isaac nodded.

"Why?"

"Because in my studies I found that The Six Fingered Man is most likely something called a Kanima.. Or.. Whatever type of Unholy Creature he is, it is at the very least, closely related to a Kanima."

"Kanima?" The Masked Man interrupted.

"Yes.. It's a type of Otherworldly Being.. A type of Shapeshifter, if you will.. And, from all of my studies I found that Monkshood will work to kill any type of Shapeshifting Creature, it just has to be the right type and the right concentration has to be used.. Luckily.. A woman named Marie-Jean Argent provided me with exactly what I needed, all I have to do in return is find.. Someone.. for her and bring them home to her."

"So you've dedicated your entire life to studying, trying to learn how to kill the man who killed your father?"

"Well.. It's more of a pursuit than anything lately.. See.. I can't find him. It has been ten years now and I am beginning to loose confidence... I just work for Gerard to.. Well.. It's just something I have to do for now because hopefully it will help bring me one step closer to achieving at the very least one of my goals.." 

"And the fact that your boss is planning on killing The Omega Prince.. Someone who's never done you any harm by the way, doesn't bother you?"

"Oh it bothers me, alright... But you have to know that I had no idea that killing The Omega Prince was on Gerard's agenda until last night. When I accepted this job.. I thought all we were going to do was kidnap The Omega Prince, scare him a little, make him think we were hired by Prince Raeken's enemies from The Kingdom of Calavera, then let him go and watch a war break out over it."

"But now that you do know that Gerard plans to kill The Omega Prince, something you clearly have objections to, why don't you do anything to stop him?"

"Is that what you plan to do?.. Try to stop Gerard from killing that innocent Omega?" Isaac asked.

"I never said that Omega was innocent." The Masked Man practically growled. "I simply pointed out that he's never done YOU any harm.. I never said that, that Omega's never done ME any harm.. And.. Yes.. I aim to keep Gerard from killing him.. But whatever happens after that is between him and I for I have my own scores to settle with him."

"Hmm.. Far be it for me to keep someone from settling scores when they have the chance... What happens if I let you go without a fight?.. Will you save that Omega's life just to end it soon after?"

"No... As much hatred as I feel for him, I will not kill him.. I doubt I will so much as give him even a scratch.. But he will know my pain and my fury by the time I am done with him."

"Oh... I see what this is.. You, Sir, are a scorned lover.. You once loved that Omega.. Am I correct?"

"I.. It was a long time ago and I feel nothing but loathing for him now."

"Because he is set to marry Prince Raeken, I am guessing?"

The Masked Man gave a tense nod.

"Well.. I do not think that Prince Raeken gave Your Love much of a choice in the matter."

"I said I no longer loved.. Wait.. What do you mean, you don't think Prince Raeken gave him much of a choice?"

"From the way I heard it.. Your love.. He rejcted Prince Raeken's advances once in the middle of Dark Oak's Main Square, the entire time cryng that he could never love again because of heartbreak caused by the murder of his True Love at the hands of pirates and Prince Raeken found out what Village Your Love was from and pursued him.. There.. Your Love.. He rejected Prince Raeken again.. But Prince Raeken is a man who does not take rejection lightly or kindly.. When it was clear that the young Omega had made up his mind and would not accept Prince Raeken's Proposal no matter how many pretty or charming words Prince Raeken spouted.. Prince Raeken threatened the life and freedom of the only person still left alive whose loss could still break the young Omega's heart, the young Omega's father."

"I had no idea." The Masked Man replied with a hitch in his breath as tears pooled in his eyes.

"SO.." Isaac stated as he abrubtly came to a stand, "You, Sir." Isaac reached down and hauled The Masked Man to his feet. "Are going to put away any thoughts of hurting that Omega in any way and go rescue Your True Love from that madman and then figure out how to rescue his father from the other mad man just in case it comes to that."

The Masked Man simply gave Isaac a dumbfounded look.

"It's not hard too figure out that you are The Omega Prince's True Love that supposedly died at the hands of pirates.." Isaac stated with a smirk "Go, now! Before you're too late!" Isaac pointed in the direction that the others had gone.

The Masked Man spun on his heel and took off running in the direction that Stiles had been carried off in.

The Masked Man sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him and soon he could see the shapes of the rest of Stiles' Kidnappers in the distance ahead of him.

"Inconceivable!" Gerard hissed. "Put The Omega Prince down and give him to me! Catch up with us quickly!" He ordered at Boyd.

"Okay?" Boyd sounded confused "You want me to catch up with you?.. But I'm already caught up with you?"

"I want you to stay behind and wait on The Masked Man!" Gerard ordered as he flailed his free hand around wildly.

"Oh.. And what am I to do once he gets here?" Boyd asked.

"Finish him off!"

"How?"

"I don't care! Just finish him off.. Finish him off your way then catch up with us!"

"Finish him off my way?.. That's very nice.. Thank you, Gerard... Wait.. Which way's my way?"

"You see that big rock?.." Gerard pointed to a big rock that was roughly the size of a pumpkin. "Pick up that big rock and wait behind that boulder-" Gerard gestured to one of he many boulders that were littering the ground "-and when The Masked Man's head comes into view smash it with the big rock!"

"Oh.. Okay." Boyd replied as Gerard and his granchild began to drag Stiles away from the field full of boulders and big rocks and towards Calavera's Frontier.

"My way's not very sportsman like." Boyd mused sarcastically.. He was not the bumbling oaf Gerard thought him to be.. In fact he had quite the intellect and he had purposefully been stalling to keep Gerard from getting too far ahead of any potential rescue that might eventually be coming to The Omega Prince's aid.

As The Masked Man's head came into view, Boyd threw his big rock, barely missing The Masked Man's head and smashing onto the rock behind The Masked Man.

The Masked Man stopped abruptly and looked over to where Boyd was hiding behind a boulder.

"I did that on purpose.. I didn't have to miss." Boyd stated as he picked up a rock that was slightly bigger than the one he had just thrown and made sure The Masked Man understood how easily he could throw that one as well .

"I believe you." The Masked Man replied nervously as he held up his hands in surrender. "So, what happens now?"

"I guess it depends.. But really quickly.. If you don't mind my asking.. Why do you wear that mask?.. Were you burned by acid or something like that?"

"Oh no, it's just, they're terribly comfortable, I think everyone will be wearing them in the future." The Masked Man quipped.

"You don't have to be sarcastic." Boyd looked like he was prepairing to lobb the rock at The Masked Man's head.

"I do apologize, but I'm rather short on time.. So are you going to try to kill me, or what?" The Masked Man asked as he shifted around seeming nervous.

"It depends."

"On?"

"What happened to Isaac?"

"Oh, your curly haired friend?.. He's fine.. Although.. I do believe he's rethinking his choice of employers after he realized that he didn't want to work for a man who would kill an innocent Omega." 

"What are you planning on doing if you catch my boss?"

"Kill him and rescue The Omega."

"Okay then. You should probably get going if you're going to stand a chance of catching up to him." boyd stated as he tossed the rock over his shoulder like it was nothing more than an old apple core.

The Masked Man gave Boyd a small bow of appreciation then went running after the other Kidnappers.

Gerard turned to see that The Masked Man was still in pursuit.

"Blast!" Gerard shouted, then he grabbed his grandchild by the front of the shirt "Kill him!" he ordered pointing to where The Masked Man was charging after them.

Gerard's grandchild gave a grim faced nod and Gerard grabbed Stiles and drug him away, continuing on towards Calavera's Frontier.

Gerard's grandchild reached into his satchel and drew out pieces of wood that he quickly assembled into a crossbow, then he strung the crossbow and assembled three arrows to load it with.

As The Man in The Mask came within firing range of the crossbrow, Gerard's grandchild, aimed at The Masked Man's heart and fired and was rendered shocked as The Masked Man simply caught the arrow mid-air and didn't even loose a step as he kept charging at him.

"Move out of the way! I don't want to have to hurt you, boy." The Masked Man huffed as he continued barreling towards Gerard's grandchild.

Gerard's grandchild hastily loaded another arrow into the crossbow and fired again, this time, the arrow grazed The Masked Man's left shoulder.

The Masked Man charged at the boy and tackled him to the ground trying to wrestle the crossbow away..

The Masked Man got an arm around the boy's chest and was pulling him away from the crossbow, when his arm slipped and he felt ... something.. 

The Masked Man let go of the boy as if he had been burned.

"You." The Masked Man sounded accusing "You're not a boy."

"And?" Gerard's grandchild took advantage of being freed and snatched the crossbow.

"But.."

"I'm just as capable of fighting as any boy... Why should it matter if I'm a girl?" Gerard's granchild reaimed the crossbow at The Masked Man.

"You're right.. You are a capable fighter." The Masked Man acknowledged as he held his hands up placatingly "Not to mention a very skilled archer.. And I have no doubt that you could have bested me given the time.. But I have no time to give for such things because the more time I waist trying to keep you from killing me and to keep from accidentally killing you, the more time your boss has to kill that innocent Omega, which also just so happens to be my True Love!..."

"Oh." The girl replied with a shocked look on her face and her aim seemed to waver.

"Yes, "Oh".. So.. Will you, please, let me go??.."

"Yes.. By all means!" The girl exclaimed as she moved out of The Masked Man's way.

The Masked Man nodded his thanks then said "I believe your friends, the curly haired man and The Giant were heading towards Calavera's Harbor.. If you want to try to find them."

"Thank you." Gerard's grandaughter replied in earnest gratitude. 

Then, The Masked Man gave chase once again but now he only had just one Kidnapper to rescue Stiles from.

"Grandpa.. The Masked Man really is Derek, not someone else.. Right?" The granddaughter interrupted.

"Could be, I suppose." Her grandfather replied.

"Grandpa, it's kinda obvious.."

"Maybe so.. And your point?"

"Well.. Instead of continuing to say, "The Masked Man" or "The Man in The Mask" why not just say "Derek" because we both know who it is?"

"Hey.. I am reading it, the way it's written, thank you very much." Her grandfather stated.

"But we both know who it is!.. Even that guy Isaac knew who it was without even knowing Derek's name!"

"That might be so.. But.. Does STILES know who it is?"

"No..."

"Sometimes a story isn't about the reveal for a Reader or for even other Charatcers in the story, but the reveal for a certain Character.. The reveal of who The Masked Man or Man in The Mask is, is for Stiles to discover, not for you or for me or anyone else who might read, hear or even be in this Story."

"Oh.. I guess that makes sense."

"Glad you see it my way." The girl's grandfather replied with a grin.

"So.. "Then The Masked Man gave chase once again but now he only had just one Kidnapper to rescue Stiles from."..

"Meanwhile back at the top of the shear cliff face.."

"There was a small group here." Prince Raeken was examing the ground. "It looks like someone broke off from the group here and went in that direction.." The Prince pointed off to his right. "While the rest continued on towards Calavera's Frontier.. It seems as if one of the group lagged quite a bit behind, perhaps to try to convince the one who left to group to stay with the group, perhaps for another reason altogether, and then they eventually made haste to catch up to the others while the one who seperated from the group left this area shortly after."

"Your Highness.. A word, if I may?" Jackson asked.. There were several of Old Oak's Soldiers with them, so The Prince wasn't the only one who had to put on a show.

"Yes, Count Whitmore.. What is it?" Prince Raeken asked as he drew close to Jackson and tilted his ear to where Jackson could whisper what he needed to say and no one else gathered around them would hear.

"How many kidnappers did you say you hired?" Jackson asked.

"Four."

"So, with The Omega, that would make a group of five.. yet I count that there was six."

"So?.. Perhaps Gerard hired someone extra after I hired him and his thugs."

"Or.. Perhaps the sixth person is not with Gerard and is instead pursuing him to try to rescue The Omega."

"I guess it could be possible that someone saw and recognized Stiles and realized that Stiles had been kidnapped and decided to pursue the kidnappers.. Gerard did seem to be a very arrogant fellow who would have thought himself above being caught, after all... I suppose that I should have hired someone more competent."

"So.. There's a very real possibility that we may find "Your Beloved" alive?"

"Yes.." Prince Raeken replied with a disappointed sneer "I suppose there is."

"You are correct Count Whitmore.." Prince Raeken made a show of speaking very loudly. "These footprints are rather large.. I do believe a Giant stood here and that this Giant picked up something roughly the size of another person, for in the next step, the footprint goes deeper as if this Giant had added a signifigant amount of weight.. And looking to the side of where the tracks become deeper, it looks as if someone had been cringing in fear right there and then they were suddenly lifted up.. I do believe that this Giant picked the clearly terrified and cringing Omega Prince up from this spot and was carrying him when the group set out.. There will be great suffering in The Kingdom of Calavera if my beloved comes to harm by this Giant's hands."

MILES AWAY FROM THE CLIFFS...

Stiles was being drug along behind, Gerard, the old man was now the only one out of his kidnappers left, making Stiles think that Gerard, being just one old man, would be easy to escape from.

Stiles wound up with a bruised cheek and both of his bound wrists sprained to prove how wrong he was when it turned out that the old man was not only stronger than he looked but also knew how to fight as well.

Gerard turned and could see The Masked Man gaining on them once again.

"Inconceivable!" Gerard exclaimed angrily through clenched teeth.

"You know, I think that curly haired man was right, you do keep using that word a lot." Stiles piped up.

"I will cut out your tongue and feed it to you, if you don't be quiet, boy!" Gerard snarled as he continued to drag Stiles behind him.

"Well, I'm just saying that maybe you should buy or even steal a few books, learn some new words besides just that one.. You know, you kinda remind me of this Spanish fellow I met once, who really liked to say the word "Regardless" almost every other word."

"I said quiet!" Gerard shouted as he backhanded Stiles, which was sure to add another bruise on the young Omega's face.

"Wow.. Hitting a bound Omega.. You must feel so brave." Stiles scoffed. 

"You don't want to be quiet?!.. Fine!.. I'll MAKE you be quiet!" Gerard shouted, stopping long enough to shove a piece of fabric into Stile's mouth and wrap another piece of fabric around his head to keep the makeshift gag in place. "There! Peace and quiet!" Gerard stated smugly.

"You should have kept running, you might have escaped me." The Masked Man spoke from behind Gerard.

"Mmmph.. ppPPP.. RRrrrr.. MmmRrrr" Stiles tried to mumble something through the gag and whatever it was he was trying to mumble sounded angry.

"Quiet, you!" Gerard, shook Stiles then pulled the young Omega in front of him and drew a dagger and pressed it to Stiles' throat. "Honestly get this one quiet only to be run up on by someone else who doesn't know how or when to hold their tongue." Gerard murmured as he backed himself up against a tree.

"Mmmpppp... PPPP...RRR.. MMM..RRRR!" Stiles sounded like he was trying to scream through the gag as he tried to squirm out of Gerard's hold.

"Stop it, this instant!" Gerard commanded.

"I think he's actually trying to warn you, that I'm a Pirate." The Masked Man stated cooly.

"Is that right?" Gerard asked as he pulled Stiles closer to his chest.

Stiles nodded "MMMM.. RRR!"

"And a murderer." The Masked Man translated Stiles' muffled shouting once more.

Stiles gave a frantic nod at that.

"I'm touched by your concern for my safety, little Omega.. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to kill you." Gerard replied with a sneer.

The Masked Man took a step forward and Gerard poked the tip of the dagger into the soft flesh of the underside of Stiles' jaw causing a small but steady trickle of blood to cascade down the young Omega's neck and making Stiles give a muffled whimper of helplessness.

"If you wish him dead right now, by all means, continue walking forward... I mean.. I don't exactly have him in the area where his dead body was meant to be found.. But.. This will do.. I'm certain that my employer will understand that I had to improvise."

The Masked Man stepped back and Gerard eased the pressure on the dagger.

"There.. See?" Gerard asked calmly "Now.. I'm certain we can come to some sort of agreement that will allow us both to leave with our lives."

"What about the Omega?" The Masked Man asked.

"What about him?" Gerard asked. "I was offered quiet a handsome sum of money to kill him after all and I can't afford to back out now."

"What if I can pay you more than the handsome sum you were offered?" The Masked Man asked.

"And if I were to take you up on your offer.. What would become of the Omega?" Gerard inquired curiously as he peeked his head out from behind Stiles' shoulder.

"Why would what happens to the Omega matter to you?" The Masked Man asked. "After all, you hardly seem the type that would care if I simply wanted to take him from you to kill him myself."

"Well.. It would be a huge risk to me, if I allowed the Omega to live to identify me later without some kind of assurance that if I were to give him over to you that you would make sure that he never spoke of who I am or what I look like to anyone... But if the only thing you want him for is to kill him yourself.. Then by all means give me an offer and if it's high enough to beat what I was already offered to kill him MYSELF then I will gladly give him over to you.. He's caused ME enough trouble already as it is."

"The person who hired you to do this job, they made you an offer of a handsome sum to do their dirty work for them.. But that's all it was, an offer.. They gave you nothing up front.. Am I correct?" The masked man asked as he paced back and forth in front of Gerard.

"You are.. But it's not uncommon in my lines of work to not be able to collect payment until after the job is completed."

"Assassinated a lot of royalty in your day, have you?"

"More than my fair share." Gerard replied as he tightened his grip on Stiles.

"But.. It stands to reason that since your employer gave you no payment up front that anything I were to give you right now would be substantially more than what you already have."

"Yes.. I suppose that one could stand to reason such a thing."

The Masked Man untied a satchel from his waist and opened it to reveal that it was filled with emeralds, rubies, saphires and gold coins. "This is everything I have on me at the current moment and there's a lot more where this comes from.. You take this and give me the Omega and after I've done what I wanted with him then I will take you to have your fill of treasure... And if you kept mum about what transpires here, then you could always take credit with your employer and receive the compensation they offered as well."

"Get paid twice to let someone else do my work for me?" Gerard asked "Now that's a deal that's right up my ally.."

"So you'll take it then?"

"I'd be a fool not to!" Gerard exclaimed "After all.. Why kill someone when you can get someone else to do the killing for you?"

The Masked Man tossed the satchel at the old man's feet and the old man shoved Stiles over watching as The Masked Man pulled the Omega towards him."

"You must really have some kind of score to settle with that Omega, if you're willing to pay this and more just for a chance to kill him yourself." Gerard sounded happy as he dug into the satchel and ran his hand through the treasure. 

"Yes, I do have some kind of score to settle with him." The Masked Man looked down at Stiles heatedly.. Then suddenly he launched his sword through the air, impaling the old man through the chest.

As the old man stood pinned to the tree choking on his own blood, The Masked Man walked over, dragging Stiles behind him "And as for, you, Gerard.. Deucallion sends his regards."

The Masked Man pulled his sword from Gerard's chest and then used the tip to gouge out the old man's eyes then slash his throat.

Stiles let out a muffled shriek and tried to pull away from The Masked Man as Gerard's blood sprayed into the air.

Once the light in Gerard's eyes faded, The Masked Man reached down and grabbed the satchel that was filled with riches and refastened it to his belt. Then The Masked Man untied the fabric from around Stiles' head and pulled the fabric from out of the Omega's mouth so that the Omega could speak.

"That entire time.. You were decieving him.. Letting him think he was going to be wealthy by the end of the day, when your real intent was to lull him into a false sense of comradity and safety so that you could kill him when he least expected it.. Why?" Stiles asked as the Masked Man cut his wrists free and began pulling him further towards the Calavera Frontier.

"Let's just say that he once tried to do something similar to a friend of mine." The Masked Man replied.

"You have friends?" Stiles asked sounding shocked "One would think The Dread Pirate Roberts to be too murderous and backstabbing to have any friends."

"Ah.. So you do know who I am.. I was thinking that you might be assuming me to be just a run of the mill Pirate back there.. My pride was almost wounded.. Glad to know that my reputation is known well enough that I was recognized on sight and by Royalty too!"

"Your reputation alone isn't the only way I know you!" Stiles shouted as he tried to tug his wrist free from The Masked Man's grasp.

"Oh?" The Dread Pirate Roberts replied inquizitively. "Then how else do you know me if not by just reputation alone, little Omega?"

"Five years ago, you and your band of Pirates Raided a small Village called Ocean Flat, you wounded my father very badly and murdered someone who was very dear to us both."

"Dear to both you and your father?.. How so?" The Dread Pirate Roberts asked mockingly "I didn't murder your brother or your uncle, did I, little Omega?

"No, you Murdered My One and ONLY True Love! My True Love was also very dear to my father, he had already come to think of him as family." Stiles cried.

"I doubt this True Love of which you speak could have been your ONLY True Love.. After all, you are set to marry Prince Raeken and it is well known both far and wide how True your love is for him." The Dread Pirate Roberts retorted as he pulled Stiles over the terrain that was beginning to become very uneven with steep hills and deep valleys.

"All a farce!" Stiles shouted. "The only reason I ever agreed to marry Prince Raeken is because he made it clear that my continued refusal would come at the cost of my fathers life or freedom!!.. I LOATH Prince Raeken, he's a BEAST not much different from you! The only difference is your eyes glow red and his glow blue.."

That made The Dread Pirate Roberts pause, his steady gait coming to a hault at the top of a hill and his grip on Stiles' wrist loosened.

Stiles yanked his wrist free, forcing The Dread Pirate Roberts to turn and face him "That's right, you MONSTER when you killed my True Love, you did so right before my father's eyes! My father saw your fangs, your claws and the way your eyes glowed red like the fires of Hell itself!.. The only difference between you and Prince Raeken are that of the color of the Unholy glow of your eyes!"

Stiles shoved The Dread Pirate Roberts down the hill they were standing on the top of then went running, going straight for the edge of a thick forest with gnarled, twisted and sickly looking trees.

Stiles looked over his shoulder as he ran into the woods and could see The Dread Pirate Roberts climbing back up the hill he had been pushed down.

Terrified that The Dread Pirate Roberts would give chase, Stiles' fear served to give him a momentary burst of speed carrying him quickly, but blindly, through the forest until he could no longer see the grassy hills or The Masked Man.

Stiles had a second to realize how hopelessly lost he suddenly was.. But if he had accidently lost himself, surely The Dread Pirate Roberts would be unable to find him?? Such a thought gave Stiles a moment of hope.. Hope that The Dread Pirate Roberts would have just given up and then that hope was dashed as he heard the sound of someone barrelling through the trees, a blink of an eye later The Dread Pirate Roberts was tackeling him to the ground, his eyes blazing red as he pinned Stiles to the ground.

Stiles struggled trying to free himself as The Dread Pirate Roberts pinned his wrists beside his head..

"Stop." The Dread Pirate Roberts growled, his teeth lengthening into fangs and his fingernails transforming into claws.

"So what my father said about you IS true." Stiles grit out, continuing to struggle "The Dread Pirate Roberts really is a monsterous, Otherworldy BEAST... You really aren't much different from Prince raeken after all.. In fact.. I think you might actually be worse than him.."

"I said stop." The Dread Pirate Roberts commanded again as he pushed Stiles' wrists harder into the ground.

"Why should I?" Stiles asked as he kept trying to wriggle free. "You've already made it clear you're going to kill me.. Trying to order me to stop struggling is like trying to order me to make killing me easier for you and THAT only makes you a coward as well as a monster."

"I'm not going to kill you." The Dread Pirate Roberts replied in an irritated huff as his eyes stopped glowing and his teeth and nails went back to looking like those of a normal Human.

"Why not?.. You've already killed My ONE and ONLY True Love and this whole kidnapping ordeal has probably convinced Prince Raeken that I've tried to escape him, meaning, he's probably already sent someone to kill my father.. I have nothing left to live for.. And all because of the mess YOU caused when you decided that Ocean Flat would make a good place for you and your fellow Pirates to Raid and Pillage... I loath Prince Raeken and wish him dead.. But I loath you even more and I wish that The Dread Pirate Roberts never even existed." Stiles spat defiantly as he continued to thrash around in an attempt to get free.

That made a smirk cross The Dread Pirate Roberts' features "As you wish." he replied, as he freed one of Stiles' wrist to take off his mask.

Stiles promptly used the hand that had been freed to punch the revealed face before him "Evil Spectre!" he shouted "How dare you take the form of My True Love?!" as he used the small amount of space created to squirm out from under The Dread Pirate Roberts and scoot away as he was sitting on the ground and too shocked to think of standing to try to run.

"I am no Spectre." The Dread Pirate Roberts huffed in amusement as he too sat on the ground and rubbed the place where Stiles had punched him. "This is the face I was born with."

"Impossible!" Stiles cried "My father saw him die with his own eyes and I know he would care for us too much to haunt us.. You're not him.. You can't be him!.. You have to be some evil creature that's stolen his shape!"

"Stiles.. It's me Derek.. I swear it is." Derek stated as he shifted to his knees and tried to reach for Stiles.

"Liar!" Stiles yelled angrily as he backed away from Derek's outstretched hand "If Derek.. The REAL Derek... MY Derek, was really alive this entire time.. He would have come back to me before now..."..

"And I would have come back for you before now, if I had only been able." Derek interrupted. 

"You say you were unable to come back before now.. Fine.. For the moment I'll leave it at that.. But the REST.. I don't understand... If you really are Derek, why this charade?.. Why were you so cruel to me?.. Why did you chase after me and frighten me, so?.. MY Derek would never do that."

"I changed during that five years I've been gone.. In more ways than one.." 

"More ways than one.. From what I've seen there's barely anything about you that HASN'T changed.. I'd say that you did change over that five years and I'd be lucky to be able to count at least one way that you DIDN'T change if you really are my Derek.. You were cruel to me.. You frightened me and pinned me to the ground.. If you really were MY Derek you would never have done any of those things unless you've just simply changed so much that you AREN'T even MY Derek anymore.. Which leaves me STILL not understanding why you treated me so harshly.. What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?!" Stiles was clearly enraged, but the shimmering of tears in his eyes spoke of the fact that he was also heartbroken.

"I am still YOUR Derek.. And I don't hate you.." Derek tried to reach for Stiles again.

"Oh really?!" Stiles shrieked hysterically, shaking with rage as he scooted backwards away from Derek once more then used the sleeve of his red tunic to scrub angrily at his teary eyes "Five YEARS!!.. You let me think you were DEAD for FIVE YEARS!!.. Even if you really couldn't have simply returned you could have sent us, sent ME, word that you still lived.. But NO!! .. You LET me grieve, let US grieve your loss for FIVE YEARS!!.. My poor father lost all standing within The Village because he couldn't stop babbling about The Red Eyed BEAST that Murdered YOU, causing him to be dragged in front of both The Village Church AND The Village Council to be tried for Blasphemy and Herasy and we were both extremely lucky that they decided to take pity on him rather than just burn him at the Stake then and there.. But such things drove away any possible chance of making a living inside The Village so I had to venture out to other Villages to try to sell what I could to keep mysef and my father from ending up completely destitute and THAT'S how Prince Raeken got his sights set on getting ME to marry him, even if he had to use threatening the life or freedom of my father to do so!!.. All that MESS.. This MESS.. Could have been avoided if you had JUST COME BACK OR AT LEAST SENT WORD THAT YOU STILL LIVED EVEN ONLY FOUR MONTHS SOONER!!.. And then there's all of THIS!!.. The way you galavanted about in that mask, mocking MY PAIN and making me think you would hurt or kill me.. Chasing me, scaring me.. Pinning me down.. I'm not seeing how all of THAT could be saying anything else other than you hate me for whatever reason!!"

"Look.." Derek said placatingly as he scooted away a bit so Stiles wouldn't feel crowded as he was about to say something that would hurt Stiles "I admit it.. When I heard you were Engaged to marry Prince Raeken I did hate you for a while there and I even wanted revenge against you over it.. It's why I came after you in the first place.. Because I had scores I felt I needed to settle with you..."

Stiles deflated seeming to have lost all of his energy after hearing what Derek had to say. "Why come after me at all?" he sobbed "Why now?.. Why do this to me now?.. Why bring back all of this pain and anger, now? I spent five years.. Five YEARS hurting and angry, hardening my heart and swearing I would never love again and here you are suddenly back from the dead behaving as if I was the one who did something wrong and like I'M the one who deserves to be punished..."

"Stiles.." Derek sounded apologetic.

"No!".. Stiles shouted "I know that this impending marriage to Prince Raeken is a farce.. But.. What if it wasn't?!.. What if I really had finally found the strength to move on and try to find love again, even if it wasn't exactly the same sort of True Love I had, had with you, what if I had really agreed to marry The Prince because I had grown to love him?!.. What then?!.. Would you still have gone ahead with your petty revenge against me... Hmm?!.. Do you REALLY think I would have deserved the way you just tormented me, even if THAT had been the case?!.. Because you sure as HELL acted like you believed I deserved to be tormented thusly even though that wasn't and could never be the case.."

"Stiles.."

"Stop trying to interrupt me!!.. I'm nowhere NEAR done.. You don't get to spend FIVE YEARS letting me think you were DEAD then get to decide to suddenly come waltzing back into my life acting like I'm the one who's done something wrong just because you heard I was moving on and getting married!.. My FATHER'S FREEDOM.. HIS VERY LIFE, could be at stake RIGHT NOW because of this whole kidnapping business and here I am lost on foreign soil not knowing if he still lives or even if he's still free, because YOU just had to have your little bit of petty revenge and couldn't be bothered to show your face sooner all to keep up with whatever rouse you had planned to torment me with, up until you felt it was the right time to reveal yourself to me!"

"Stiles.."

"I may still love you.. I will probably ALWAYS love you.. That seems to be THE CURSE that comes with True Love.. But right now I am so ANGRY at you for SO MANY REASONS that I don't even want to look at you or hear your voice.."

"You're right!!.." Derek interjected hastily as he watched Stiles started to tug at his own hair while curling in on himself and rocking back and forth.. "I was much like a scorned lover.. When I heard you were getting married to Prince Raeken, I was angry... I felt hurt and betrayed.."

"YOU were angry?!.. YOU felt hurt and betrayed?!.. You have SOME nerve.." Stiles retorted angrily as he continued to tug at his hair and rock himself back and forth.

"And I did purposefully set out to torment you when I heard I would have an opprotunity to potentially steal you from your kidnappers.."

"Oh so you KNEW I would be kidnapped BEFORE I was kidnapped and you didn't even attempt to stop it or attempt to save me before we reached Calavera.." Stiles stopped tugging at his hair and rocking back and forth and raised his head to glare at Derek.

Derek flinched back like he had been scalded as the tears were no longer just pooling in Stiles' eyes, no they were now pouring down Stiles' face but Stiles made no move to attempt to dry them.. It was clear that Stiles wanted Derek to see his pain.

"Yes.. and I was WRONG.. I was WRONG.. I was wrong for waiting so long to come back.. I was wrong for being angry at you when it looked like you were moving on.. I was wrong for not doing something to prevent you from being kidnapped.."

"I just spent nearly two whole days, FRIGHTENED, out of my mind more often than not and worried over more than just MY safety and you helped to play a part in that and here you are thinking that simply admitting you were WRONG does anything to fix any of THAT?!" Stiles' shouted with sobbing breaths.

"I'm trying to apologize here.."

"Your apology means nothing to me when my father might be dead or locked away in a place where he might as well be as good as dead all because of a mess that YOU played an ENORMOUS part in causing!!... Your death turned mine and my father's world upside down.. My father's descent into borderline Insanity, Prince Raeken forcing me to agree to marry him.. None of that would have ever even happened if you had just come home right after The Raid! And now my father might be dead or locked away.. And all of it.. All of it will be YOUR FAULT because you didn't just die, you STAYED DEAD for FIVE YEARS and allowed the weight of loosing you and the burdens of knowing that an Otherworldly BEAST had killed you to befall on my father and I in your abscence.. I cannot BELIEVE your AUDACITY to admit that for even a moment you placed blame ON ME for anything all because I was getting married to someone other than YOU.. It doesn't matter that SOMETHING changed your mind about how the blame and wrongdoing should be assigned, a simple APOLOGY and admittance to the wrongs you've done, doesn't even begin to make up for the pain that you've caused.. You BROKE MY HEART, Derek!!.. You broke my father's heart and you've made us both SUFFER with the grief of loosing you for so long, that our very SOULS became fractured under the weight of that kind of loss.. Apologizing?.. Admitting you were wrong to want to torment me even just a little?.. It does NOTHING.. It MEANS nothing.. Because the damage is already so far beyond repair..."

"So you will never be able to forgive me?" Derek's eyes became large and teary, making him have the look of a begging puppy.

"I'm saying you haven't come even close to doing anything to earn my forgiveness." Stiles was completely unaffected by those big puppy dog eyes as he had his own pain to pour out.

"I saved you from the people who kidnapped you."

"Oh how MAGNANIMOUS of you to save me from my kidnappers when you could have kept me from ever being kidnapped in the first place.. How charitable of you to save me from my kidnappers then waste time, that I could have used to get back home in enough time to hopefully keep Prince Raeken from doing something horrible to my father, by terrifying me and chasing me further into a Kingdom that's ENEMIES with The Kingdom whose Crown Prince I just so happen to be Engaged to get married to.. How noble of you to go bringing every ounce of heartbreak I've felt over the past five years together to combine it all into one soul obliterating force.. How dare I behave like your having saved me from my kidnappers wasn't enough to earn you even just a little bit of forgiveness..." 

"Okay.. Alright.. You've made your point.." Derek was clearly shamefaced.

"Have I?.. Really?.. Because I could keep going, you know?" Stiles spat through gritted teeth. His tears still weren't stopping.

"Have these past five years really served only to fill you with so much venom?" Derek asked.

Stiles gave a bitter chuckle as he let himself relax backwards to lean against the tree closest to him, the tears on his face catching in the rays of light that filtered through the leaves causing them to glitter silver "No.. One month of being trapped in a Marriage Engagement to a snake like Prince Raeken is what's served to fill me with most of this particular venom and the potential danger to my father is just adding on to it.. Derek.. I have to go back to Prince Raeken.. If I stay gone much longer he will have my father killed and if there's even still the slightest chance to save my father's life, I have to take it, I have to go back to the Castle.. I have to hold up my end of the bargain." Stiles slumbed in on himself and begsn tugging at his hair again.

"You would still marry Prince Raeken, a man you don't even love, when you have Your True Love sitting right next to you?" Derek asked sounding distraught.

"I don't have much of a choice in the matter!!" Stiles screamed.. "Prince Raeken and his family have a very far reach in both this world and the world of Otherworldly Creatures.. I wasn't lying when I spoke of how his eyes glow.. And his mother and father.. Their eyes glow red.. Like yours.. Like the BEAST that.. Tore you out of my life also had eyes that could glow red.. Whatever it is about those Hellfire Red Eyes, it gives BOTH The King and The Queen power like you wouldn't believe.. And it's not just the glowing of their eyes.. It's also their physical strength.. I doubt it could be matched by even that Giant who helped kidnap me... And Prince Raeken.. He may not be as strong or as powerful as his mother and father but what he lacks in brute strength he makes up for with a cruel, calculating, manipulative, devious and VICIOUS mind.. The three of them combined make an unbeatable force to be reckoned with.. So even if I were to find a way to get my father safely out of The Kingdom of Old Oak he would never be completely safe from Prince Raeken and his family and neither would I.. The only way to keep both my father and I safe is for me to keep up my end of the bargain... My hand in marriage in exchange for the life and freedom of my father."

"And you don't care what that will mean for US?" Derek sounded argumentative.

"I may still love you.. I will probably ALWAYS love you.. But, Derek.. There hasn't been an US for five years because you were DEAD and while you were gone forces beyond my control saw fit to DICTATE my life without caring about what I wanted or what I didn't want or what it would mean for ME or MY LIFE.. Don't you DARE try to make me feel guilty because I didn't find a way to make room for the possibility of a DEAD MAN to come waltzing back into my life, because I couldn't have even if I had wanted to, as Prince Raeken made it very clear what would happen if I tried to escape him in any way and holding on to hope that you would somehow still come back for me even though I believed for certain that you were dead would have been holding on to an Insane Delusion after my father SAW YOU DIE WITH HIS OWN EYES!"

"But I have come back for you.."

"Four Months too late!.. Even IF we could get my father to someplace safe and I were to entertain a notion of running away and riding off into the sunset with you.. How would we manage THAT when Prince Raeken has almost an entire Kingdom full of people who would do his dirty work for him?.. We would both be hunted down like animals wthin the blink of an eye no matter how fast or how far we ran.. Because it would never be fast enough or far enough to stay free from him. I'm sorry, Derek.. But if you had come back even just a day before Prince Raeken set his sights on me, things could have been different, but, as it is, things are not different and we both have to accept the consequences for that.. I have no other choice but to go through with the marriage to Prince Raeken despite the fact that I hate him and you have no other choice but to accept that whatever amount of time we've had together was all we are ever going to get.." Stiles was outright bawling now, wanting to curse GOD HIMSELF for the cruelties of his life.. 

"Stiles.. I'm sorry." Derek cried scooting closer to Stiles but not reaching for him no matter how badly he wanted to "You CAN'T go back to Prince Raeken.. I won't let you go..."..

"But you already HAVE let me go!" Stiles shouted in interruption "Can you not see? Are you so completely blind?.. You already have let me go for FIVE YEARS, Derek!.. You left me without you and without word that you were still alive you left me and you had no worry or care for what may happen to me in your absence and when something DID happen to me, YOU decided that I needed punishing because what was happening with me, TO me, made YOU feel angry, hurt and betrayed and you didn't even know all of the facts and now here you are thinking you can step in and dictate MY LIFE to YOUR fancy, telling me that I CAN'T do something.. That you won't LET ME do something!.. How does that make YOU any different than Prince Raeken?!.. Are you going to RESORT to threatening the life or freedom of my father just to get your way from me exactly like he has?!.. Are you going to threaten to force a Mating Claim on me against my will exactly like he's threatened to do?!.. Because you've already spent hours in a MASK just to toy with me and make me think my life was at the mercy of YOUR MURDERER, all because you just had to have at least a tiny bit of revenge!! All because you felt like you had THE RIGHT to PUNISH ME even just a little!!.. What will you do to me next if I continue to have the audacity to say or do what you THINK are the wrong things?!.. What MORE are YOU going to THREATEN ME with if I keep refusing to just give you your way?!.. Are you just going to decide to end my life or watch from the stands as I DIE when YOU could have saved me all because you can't have me?!"

"Stiles, I.."

"WHAT?!.." Stiles lunged forward to scream in Derek's face "WHAT?!.. Would NEVER, could NEVER kill me?!, Could never just stand idol and watch as I died, not if you could save me?!.. Is that what you were going to say?!.. You must rememember I've spent a MONTH in a Serpents' Den, I've heard plenty of those Serpents try to use pretty words to peddle their Snake Oil and I would believe that as bout as much as I would believe THEM!.. And do you know WHY I can't be able to believe that you wouldn't kill me or let me die if you could save me?" Stiles asked coldly.

Derek gave a grim faced shake of his head "No."..

"Because.. Last night.. When my kidnappers still had me at sea.. Tell me.. How many times did you hear me shouting, PLEADING for help?.."

"More than once." Derek whispered.

"I thought as much." Stiles replied with a bitter look on his face as he nodded "And did you know that WHILE I was screaming and shouting and flailing and BEGGING for rescue I ended up falling into the water, which just so happened to be INFESTED with Shrieking Eels?"

"Yes." Derek whispered.

"I did not know the water was filled with Man Eating Eels when I fell in, all I knew was I might be saved if I could only just swim to the boat that was following so closely behind us.. That entire time I was swimming towards YOU hoping for rescue.. How many times did you hear me begging for help then?"

"Stiles, I'm so, sorry.." Derek whimpered.

"Sorry?!" Stiles replied with a sneer "How many times did you hear me call out for help AFTER The Shrieking Eels began to swim around me?"

"Stiles, please.."

"Did you stand there feeling all smug, knowing I was begging for help FROM YOU even if I did not know that it was YOU who was following us at the time?.. Where there a few moments where in your need to punish me that you felt happy that I was so TERRIFIED while you did NOTHING to come to my aid?.. While I was being swarmed by those Eels was there ever a moment where you maybe even hoped one would eat me just because in that moment you still hated me for whatever reasons?"

"I.. You're right.. I shouldn't have just stood there and ignored your screams for help... I could hear how frightened you were.. And.. yes.. I did feel smug about being able to do something yet choosing not to at the time." Derek looked truly ashamed of himself.

Stiles plopped back with a huff "And yet you are sitting there wondering WHY I was choosing to go back to Prince Raeken over choosing to find a way to be with you."

"Well.. I had been.. But to hear how badly I behaved and see that bad behavior in a different light than I had when I was still angry.. I think I may actually be worse than Prince Raeken, I can see, why you would feel you had to choose Raeken. Because in all honesty right now, he really does seem to be the lesser of two evils."

"So happy you can see it my way." Stiles sounded numb "Here you are My True Love having treated me so badly and there Prince Raeken is, someone I loath and don't want near me, having at the very least the decency to not hurt me in the ways that you just have... Not the greatest of choices considering my father's life might be at stake either way now.."

"Stiles, I'm not going to hurt your father, even when I was still angry with you, hurting him or even threatening him never once crossed my mind. I swear."

"But it might cross your mind now that you've seen how effectively it would make me fall in line."

"No.. I swear on my soul.. I would never, will never, threaten your father's life, no matter what... Just please.. Please let me at least try to explain everything that's happened including my thoughts and actions from the day I disappeared up until this very moment.. Please at the very least, give me the chance to do that and if you choose to cut me completely out of your life after that and choose to go back to Prince Raeken, I will not only respect your choice but I will give every resource at my disposal to help you get back to him."

"Fine." Stiles replied as he shifted backwards until he could lean against his tree again. "Go ahead and speak your piece... But do so quickly.. Now that my panic over the situation has calmed some I doubt that Prince Raeken will take action against my father yet, but the longer I take to return to Prince Raeken's side the less chance there is of going back and finding my father still alive and free."

Derek cringed at how.. Hollow.. Stiles sounded.. It was like Stiles was suddenly filled with nothing but a dark void now that his hatred, anger and fear had grown too numb to continue feeling and Derek knew that he had helped cause Stiles to feel such emptiness with his cruel words, actions and behavior.

"The night The Pirate Ship Revenge was spotted off The Coast of Ocean Flat and your father and his fellow Magistrate Officers, including me, sailed out to try to confront, capture or chase away The Dread Pirate Roberts, it just so happened to have been that on that particular night, there was a Full Moon.. Do you remember?"

"Remember?.. Everything about that night and the following day is EMBLAZENED in my mind!.. Remember?.." Stiles scoffed "One would have to be able to forget to have the need to remember."

"Well as it turns out.. The Dread Pirate Roberts' Ship wasn't sighted off our Coast because he was going to Raid or pillage Ocean Flat.. No.. He was in our waters because he had need of the forest next to our village for he and his fellow Werewolves to run through."

"Werewolves?" Stiles asked in disbelief.

"Yes.. Werewolves." Derek replied with complete seriousness. "The Dread Pirate Roberts had a standing agreement with our Village Council and Village Church that once every five years he and his fellow Pirates could make use of the forest near our Village.."

"WAIT!".. Stiles exclaimed sounding suspicious and like he was about to become angry again.. aparently he wasn't too numb to continue to keep away the burn of anger for very long.. "You mean to tell me that, The Village Council had an agreement like THAT with Roberts?!.. DID THEY KNOW ABOUT.."

"Him being a Werewolf?" Derek interrupted. "Yes.. But.."

"I can't BELIEVE the NERVE of those people, dragging my father up in front of everyone to be tried for Blasphemy and Herasy when they KNEW he wasn't lying OR Insane!!"

"Yes, well they were rich men who had to save face.."

"They had to save face?.. THEY had to SAVE FACE?!" Stiles shrieked "DID YOU NOT HEAR ME SPEAK OF WHAT THEIR SAVING FACE, DID TO MY FATHER AND I?.. And yet you sit there making excuses for them.."

"I'm not making excuses for them, I was just making an assumption on their reasonings."

"Oh, well, it's a pretty sound assumption considering that most rich men that I've known will do whatever it takes to save their own skin first and damn the consequences and whoever might fall victim of those consequences, so long as it's not them.. Wait.. If they knew about The Dread Pirate Roberts and his fellow Pirates on board The Pirate Ship Revenge being werewolves.. Did they.. Did they know you were alive as well?"

"They may have had some indication of that, yes."

"Oh.. My.. GOD!!!.. HOW does one KILL a Werewolf?!" Stiles asked in a shout as he threw his hands in the air and flailed them about angrily.

"Why would you ask such a thing?" 

"Because you spent at least a month of hating me enough to want to get revenge against me because I moved on and I feel as if I am entitled to have at least a few moments where I can hate you enough to entertain the notion of KILLING YOU because you just admitted to people within The Village knowing that you were alive and you never once thought to ask them to give ME some sort of indication of that fact!!.. So.. What will do it??.. Hmm?.. A Wooden Stake through your heart?.."..

"Stiles, that's Vampires, and they aren't real." Derek replied with a small huff of amusement at the show of temper from Stiles.

"Oh, VAMPIRES aren't real.. Well, what a SURPRISE THAT IS!" Stiles shouted sounding manic "Alright then.. Would DROWNING YOU in Holy Water work?"

Derek shook his head, a small smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Well, surely there must be something.. I suppose I could just always pick up any number of these larger sticks from the ground and just start bashing you in the head with it and hope for the best.." Stiles actually stood up and began to look for a stick off of the forest floor.

"There's no need for violence, Stiles." Derek replied as he tried to hold back a chuckle as he too stood, he had to admire the young Omega's tenacity and in that moment of admiring Stiles the person he was wanting to laugh at was himself because he had been such a fool to ever cause Stiles any sort of pain.

"No need for VIOLENCE?!" Stiles screamed as he whirled around on Derek "No need for VIOLENCE, you say?!.. Where was THAT notion only moments ago when YOU were tackling ME so roughly to the ground?!.. Where was THAT notion when that old man you just murdered, HIT ME, TWICE?!.. Where was THAT notion when YOU were just sitting idily by while I was almost EATEN BY EELS?!".. When Stiles caught sight of Derek's small smirk Stiles spluttered indignantly "Are.. Are you.. LAUGHING?!"

"Only on the inside."

"Oh.. Oh.. That.. is.. IT!" Stiles fumed furiously as he grabbed the nearest stick and began swinging it at Derek's head, but Derek kept moving out of the way. "Hold still so I can KILL YOU!"

"Come, now, Stiles.. You don't really want to kill me, do you?" Derek asked as he jumped out of the way of Stiles' swings.

"It's more of a NEED than a mere want at this exact moment.. I.. NEED to KILL YOU like I NEED air to breathe!" Stiles exclaimed in an angry growl as he swung again, and again, each time aiming for Derek's head and each time, Derek would dodge out of the way just in time.

Moments later, Stiles was too exhausted to keep swinging. "I can't believe I ever thought that YOU were MY One and ONLY True Love." Stiles panted angrily "Because in this moment, here and now.. I hate you." The angry words gave way to a sob "Are you happy now?" Stiles cried "You made me HATE YOU!"

"You can't mean that." Derek sounded hurt.

"Oh, I CAN and I DO." Stiles hissed.

"But you didn't even let me finish explaining.."

"I've heard enough!!.. Now you PROMISED to help me get back home and by GOD you are going to keep your word, so lead me out of these God Forsaken Woods and get me back to Prince Raeken before he has my father either locked away or killed!"

"Only if you let me finish explaining.."

"No!.. I don't want to hear another word out of you!.." Stiles turned away with a huff and started stomping his way through the woods.

"The longer it takes for you to listen, the longer it takes for you to get back home..." Derek tried to reach his hand out to Stiles.

Stiles whirled back around knocking Derek's hand away with a smack of his stick "I am DONE listening to YOU!.. If you won't help me find my way out of these woods and help me get back before my father is imprisoned or killed, then I will do it all on my own!.. I've managed FIVE YEARS without you, surely I can continue managing without you for the rest of my life!" Stiles shouted as he turned and stomped away, still keeping a tight grip on his stick.

"Stiles, PLEASE!" Derek shouted and ran after him "Listen, PLEASE?!" Derek begged.

Stiles just turned his nose up and kept walking.

"Everything I did, everything I felt after I heard you were to wed Prince Raeken, all of it was because of Instinct, Stiles!"

"Instinct?" Stiles inquired as he stopped and turned to face Derek, lifting his stick in one hand and smacking it down into the open palm of his other as if he was contemplating taking another swing at Derek.

"Yes.. Instinct." Derek replied sounding relieved that Stiles was listening "After years on The Pirate Ship Revenge, I was bitten, and turned into a Werewolf.. Which is part of what I was trying to tell you a moment ago, but that part of the explanation can wait for now.. Just please.. Know this.. I had to spend MONTHS trying to learn how to control all of the new aspects that came with having been turned into a Werewolf before I would dare to trust myself going anywhere near someone I care about.. But when I heard you were getting married.. Every bit of control that I had managed to learn to have, failed me, and badly at that.. See.. Werewolves and Real Wolves have a quite a bit in common.. We both need Packs and we both Mate for life and when I heard you were getting married, the part of me that is a Wolf heard that the person I saw, that MY WOLF saw, as My MATE, was with someone else.. There are two things that make a Wolf extremely deadly.. Messing with its Pups and messing with its Mate and in that sense Werewolves are not much different, except that with a Werewolf having a Mate adds a layer of extreme possessiveness over that Mate.. The part of me that is now a Wolf didn't understand that it was wrong to be angry and jealous over your pending Nuptuals because I had been gone for FIVE YEARS leaving you to think that I was dead the entire time.. All the part of me that is now a Wolf could hear was that ITS MATE was betraying it.. But please understand that the parts of me that are both Human and Wolf are still not in harmony with one another and I still have a lot to learn when it comes to controlling everything that comes with being turned into a Werewolf.. To be honest I had changed my mind about wanting revenge against you shortly after I reached the tops of the cliffs... And after I had changed my mind I had fully intended to rescue you and reveal myself immediately after.. But when I caught up to you.. My Wolf could smell all of the foreign scents that covered you and all it could think that its Mate smelled like others who aren't Pack and once again my Wolf got caught up in feeling Possessive and Betrayed.. It wasn't until after I tackled you to the ground that I had my Wolf back under enough control to realize that it wasn't ever really you I was angry with, it was myself that I was angry with, because I had left you for so long and I had almost lost you and I would have deserved just that if I had lost you.. I hoped that if I revealed myself to you that you would be overjoyed that I was alive and all would be forgiven." Derek looked bashful when he admitted that last part.

"It must have been quite the shock to both you and your Wolf when you found that things were nowhere near that simple." Stiles replied with a roll of his eyes as he turned back around and continued trekking forward, swinging his stick at his side like a Cricket Bat.

"Stiles??.. Please" Derek pleaded as he rushed to follow "I know that events of the last five years being what they were have served to make your heart callous.. But.. Please.. Give me a chance to tell you everything?"

"To what end?" Stiles huffed irritably as he continued walking.

"The only thing I ask is that you listen.. You knowing the truth of all of it is the only hope I have left, the hope that once you know everything you will find it in yourself to one day eventually forgive me."

"And even if I could maybe one day forgive you?.. What then?.." Stiles stopped walking and turned to face Derek again "What are you really hoping for?.. That the clouds will part, the setting sun will cast a perfectly glowing light on floating moats of dust, a colorful rainbow will arch itself through the air and I will fall into you arms giving you the most romantic of kisses in the History of Romantic Kisses then we can ride off into a Happily Ever After and all will be right with the world?"

"Well.. The kiss and The Happily Ever After would be nice.." Derek mused.

"Life's not a Fairytale and you're no Prince Charming." Stiles retorted. "But you can have your moment to tell me what you need to say.. I only hope that you can speak of the things you so badly want to explain while we walk, because I'm done waisting my time sitting idol.. So say whatever it is you need to say and be done with it before I find my way out of these woods for if you aren't and I find my way out of these woods before you finish speaking, I will gladly leave you behind no matter what words you still have left unsaid." Stiles turned on his heel, walking off once more as he leaned his stick against his shoulder as if to serve as a reminder that with the stick at this position he could easily turn and swing it towards Derek's head again at any moment.

"I suppose that I should then be getting to the most important points first." Derek replied with wide eyes as, he was impressed by the changes in Stiles', but also afraid of what those changes could mean for them both.

"A most exceptional idea." Stiles spat sarcastically.

Derek blinked, taken aback by the continued callousness but figured it was well aimed and well deserved after how he had behaved. 

"The first thing you should know is that The Dread Pirate Roberts is not the one who wounded your father.."

"Then how is that my father returned to shore that next morning looking like he had been clawed by some kind of ANIMAL?!" Stiles interrupted with a yell.

"There was newly turned woman in The Crew who had no control as it was her first Full Moon as a Werewolf... She was the one who clawed your father in such a manner and she was punished for doing so."

"I hope she was put to death." Stiles interjected broodingly.

"No.. She wasn't put to death.. After all, you must understand that by sailing out after The Pirate Ship Revenge we were unknowingly breaking the already long standing agreement that The Village Council and The Village Church had with The Dread Pirate Roberts.. The entire Village is actually lucky that it didn't start a war with the Werewolves."

"So.. How was she punished?.." Stiles asked impatiently as he stomped through the woods.

"You seem eager to hear that she suffered." Derek replied cooly as he caught Stiles by the arm and whirled him around.

"She maimed and almost killed my father, he still has scars all over his body, he still has a limp when he walks because of the damage done to his legs.. Oh.. And did I forget to mention how our lives were turned upside down and how the attack on my father played more than just a small part in that? You came after me wanting vengeance for something that I did five years after I last saw you, something that left you without a scratch.. As morbid, cold, callous, brutal or ruthless as it seems, I think I'm entitled to want a little vengeance for something that has left my father disfigured and nearly crippled for five years." Stiles stated with a cold smile. "Don't look so shocked, Derek, I've spent a month living in a Castle filled with monsters, after all, I've grown accustom to having murderous feelings such as these."

"I suppose it's just hard getting used to the fact that you no longer have the same innocence you once did before I disappeared." Derek muttered as he tried rubbing a soothing circle on Stiles' wrist with his thumb.

Stiles ripped his arm away from Derek "Innocence?!" Stiles scoffed "That's been gone for as long as you have.."-

"And stop saying- "Since I disappeared.".. "Before I disappeared.".." Stiles said dropping his voice into the best impersonation of Derek that he could manage - "Stop referring to it as a "disappearance at all.. Just call it was it was.. You ABANDONNED me!.. You ABANDONNED US!.. You could have come back or at least sent word you were alive long before now.. But did you?.. NO!.."

"Well.. Actually.. I couldn't have done either of those things.." Derek let his whispered words trail off.

"What?" Stiles asked as it sank in. "What do you mean, you couldn't have?"

"If you would let me finish I would tell you.." Derek replied sounding almost mournful now.

"Fine.. Get on with it.. Then."

"And.. Just to be clear.. I won't get very far if you keep interrupting me." Derek replied in slight reprimand.

Stiles made a "Hmph" sound "Alright.. I will do my best not to interrupt... Please.. Continue."

"As you wish." Derek replied as he followed Stiles through the woods.

TBC..


End file.
